Offender Management Bill

My Lords, I beg to move that this House do not insist on its Amendments Nos. 23 and 38, to which the Commons have disagreed for their Reasons 23A and 38A. We have previously discussed at some length the procedures that should apply to the implementation of the measures in Part 1 of the Bill, but I confess that the real purpose of these amendments continues to elude me. They would require the Government to lay before Parliament a report containing proposals for reform of the Probation Service. Parliament has spent the last nine months debating a Bill containing the Government’s proposals for the reform of the Probation Service—a Bill that has undergone extremely careful scrutiny, nearly all of it focused on the probation provisions, and which is much improved as a result. That is entirely proper and as it should be; it is a tried and tested process. It is entirely unclear, therefore, how the addition of this novel procedure would add to it in any significant way. The Bill that is now before us and the proposals for implementing it, on which I have given your Lordships considerable information over the last few weeks, have moved on considerably from the proposals set out in the consultation paper published nearly two years ago. Perhaps I may respectfully suggest that there is absolutely no purpose to be served by looking back at that paper, the responses to it or indeed the report by the noble Lord, Lord Carter, which preceded it. We have had very valuable debates on these proposals and we now need, I suggest as gently as I can, to look forwards, not backwards. We need to move on to implementing the proposals cautiously and gradually, as we have said that we will. This position has been strongly supported by those in the other place, where these amendments were rejected by a majority of 127. I cannot see what purpose would be served by further delay and asking the other place to think again when it has so clearly spoken. I invite the House to take the admirable stance adopted earlier by the noble Baroness, Lady Anelay, when she said that there is a moment when one has to give way. I respectfully suggest that this may be one such moment. Moved, That this House do not insist on its Amendments Nos. 23 and 38, to which the Commons have disagreed for the Reasons 23A and 38A.—(Baroness Scotland of Asthal.)