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Prisons and Probation

My Lords, on my noble friend’s final question, like all government departments we are, of course, doing our duty. As to his first question, it is necessary that I go away and write a letter to the noble Lord, Lord Thomas of Gresford, with a response to his point. Britain is not exactly the same as other countries. It has a higher number of crimes of certain types and a lesser number of other types, but the question that has been repeated around the House deserves a more detailed answer than I have been able to give this afternoon. That is what I shall do.