Vol. 438 No. 3
2 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice her views on whether, in view of the failure to increase the strength of the probation service in line with the increase in workload in recent years, community service orders increasing, for example from 1,081 in 1989 to 1,745 in 1992, the recruitment of 50 officers over the next four years is an adequate response.
60 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Justice the current strength of the probation and welfare service.
I propose taking Questions Nos. 2 and 60 together.
The number of probation and welfare officers currently employed by my Department is 170. This number will be substantially increased over the next four years: not only have I secured Government approval, in the context of the law and order package which I announced in December, to employ an additional 50 probation and welfare officers over the next four years but I have also obtained approval to fill 20 existing vacancies this year. This total of 70 will represent an increase of more than 40 per cent in the strength of the service by 1997. I have every reason to be satisfied with this development and I am confident that the service will be well placed as a consequence to meet the additional workload which it is being asked to undertake. The real challenge will be to attract sufficient suitable candidates in that time-span and integrate them into the service in a way that will contribute most to meeting its objectives.
Is the Minister aware that there were 137 such officers at the end of 1993, an increase of 19 in five years, some of whom were required for the new prison in Wheatfield? Would she agree that the number of community service orders increased from 10,081 to 17,045, almost double, in the period 1989-92? In those circumstances would the Minister agree that the proposed increase in the so-called crime package of 12 probation officers a year for the next four years is a very meagre response indeed?
At a time when numbers are being curtailed in the public service, and have been for some time, an increase of 40 per cent is quite a significant achievement by any Minister. The probation and welfare staff do an amount of work on our behalf, both within and outside the prison service, in monitoring all the people involved in community service work orders and other such non-custodial sentencing. As the Deputy knows, these people are assisted in their work by an excellent corps of sessional supervisors as well as individuals and voluntary groups who provide supervision in individual placements. A 40 per cent increase is a substantial achievement at a time when no such increases are being granted in public service numbers, and will meet the developing needs in this area. Not only is there provision for an extra 50 probation officers but permission has also been given to fill 20 vacancies in the present system. With the new recruits and the filling of existing vacancies we will have a probation service of which all of us can be proud.
