Offender Management Bill

I am always happy to withdraw an amendment when the noble Baroness smiles at me. I am enormously impressed with what is being done. I know of the noble Baroness’s own commitment, and that of Phil Hope and the noble Lord, Lord Adonis. They are committed in this area, but that does not necessarily mean that every prison officer is committed. My argument is that we have to change the culture of the Prison Service and the Probation Service, and I still think that there may be a case for a differently drafted amendment to achieve that. In the context of what my noble friend Lord Ramsbotham said about the Family Man, I am sorry that the noble Lord, Lord Lucas, who was here earlier, has not stayed to tell us about it—I think probably due to excessive modesty because it is run by his wife. Finally, I refer again to the point made by my noble friend Lord Listowel about the value of the telephone. There is very strong evidence to show that for a child, a regular weekly telephone call from his father, whether he is in prison or in Australia, will make a huge difference to the child’s confidence that his father still loves him and cares about him. On that note, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Clause 24 [Application of polygraph condition]: On Question, Whether Clause 24 shall stand part of the Bill?