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Offender Management Bill

I have a lot of respect for my hon. Friend, but on this occasion I think that he is way off the mark. He is saying that everything in the public sector is good and everything in the private or voluntary sectors is bad. That is not the case. If we are serious about tackling reoffending, we need to ensure that we harness the best of all that is available. That is at the heart of the Bill. Yes, we have to protect the people who work in the probation service; that is the role of a trade union and I understand the trade union position. However, we have to tackle reoffending and we are not doing so to the extent that we should be. That is why we should look at innovations and at what the public sector, the private sector and the voluntary sector can offer.