Offender Management Bill

I agree that the gap between 2000 and 2007 cannot be described as a short period, but of course we are not talking about a continuum. There has been a number of reviews, and a number of proposals put forward, and we are now dealing with the third reorganisation of the probation service in that relatively short period. It is no good saying, ““We’ve been thinking about the subject for some time, so the process can’t be described as a rush.”” If we examine and analyse what has happened in those seven years, we can see that the thinking process behind the Government’s proposals has been, shall we say, a little disorganised. That is the complaint, and that is why it is so important that there be a delay period that allows the Government time to see how the measures will work in practice, before they bring the Bill into full effect.