Member

I turn to the other amendments in this group. I support everything that my noble friend Lord Foster has said on his amendments relating to prison population, current and predicted; prison capacity; and the Probation Service and its need for resources. I know that the Government have taken on board that there is a shortage of resources and a need for more resources, but it does not sit well for the Government to blame the Opposition for what they did in government and then not to increase the resources to the level that is needed. We have severe concerns, of which I have spoken before, about whether the extra money currently available for probation will be sufficient to meet the extra demands made upon the service by the provisions of the Bill.