To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the (a) number of staff and (b) financial resources required to implement end to end offender management in the probation service; and if he will make a statement. (77077)

We expect offender management to be resource-neutral over the long- term, with any costs balanced by savings arising from the benefits of the system. There will be start-up costs in 2006-07 and 2007-08, totalling some £8 million, before full-savings start to be seen. The costs translate into around 90 posts in 2006-07 and 120 in 2007-08.