Offender Management Bill

My Lords, I am glad that the noble Lord, Lord Judd, has raised this. Although we are going to discuss qualifications under Amendment No. 24, as the noble Lord, Lord Wallace, has rightly pointed out, a lot of that amendment is about guidelines. We are not just about guidelines; we are about the actual delivery of training. We are not just interested in it going to individuals; we are interested in the training of the organisations that have to carry out tasks, and that covers the public, private and voluntary sectors. ““Training”” sometimes sends shivers up my spine when I think about the difference between what is said to be happening, what is required to happen, and what is actually happening. To my concern, I heard the other day that, for example, the so-called eight-week training for prison officers has been reduced by a week to seven weeks. In other countries, prison officers have a degree-based course for up to a year. I have the same concerns now that we have an increased number of less than fully trained probation staff, many of whom are asked to carry out tasks for which they are not adequately trained. As the private and voluntary sectors become more involved—we all hope they will—it is terribly important that their people are trained in exactly the same way to carry out these purposes, and that there is a mechanism to make certain that the training is verified so that they are not allowed to practise until they have been tested or attested to see that they are up to the right standard. This looks like a small amendment, but coming from the noble Lord, Lord Judd, naturally there will be more to it than that. I am extremely glad that he has raised the issue in this way, and I am glad too that ““professional preparation”” has been included, as well as ““training””, in Amendment No. 19. I hope that the Minister will be able to accept the amendments in the spirit in which they are meant so that they can tie in with government Amendment No. 24, which is on the same subject—although guidelines are not the same as delivery.