Violent Crime Reduction Bill

I support the amendment, to which my noble friend Lady Anelay of St Johns has added her name. It would be helpful in some cases if a report were made available to the court before it made a drinking banning order. It is a sensible proposal that should not lead to too great a burden on the court or on those with responsibility for preparing the reports. We are all concerned about the heavy workload carried by the Probation Service, which has been highlighted in recent very tragic cases, especially in light of the extra burden that it will face at the end of this year when custody plus sentences come into effect. Despite the fact that the DBO is a civil order, it would be valuable if a report could be called for by the court when it believes that it will assist it more effectively to determine whether an order should be made and what prohibition should appropriately be imposed. The amendment is even more appropriate in the light of the Government’s new clauses that open up the prospect of a court ordering that a person should be offered the chance to complete an approved course, to which the noble Lord, Lord Thomas, has referred, and get a discount on the length of their DBO as a result. I hope that the Government can accept the amendment.