Responsibility for this legislation rests with the Home Office. Powers under section 178 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 to enable the review of a community order have been in operation for almost a year, as a pilot at the community justice initiatives in North Liverpool and Salford. We are now assessing their impact, with a view to extending their use to the new community justice courts announced by the Lord Chancellor on 27 November, including Nottingham. This extension will give us further information about the operation of the powers and their impact on offender behaviour, as well as the resources required by the courts and Probation Service. My officials are therefore working with Home Office officials to ensure the affirmative resolution order to extend the powers is taken forward as soon as this assessment is complete.
Section 178 is one element only of the community justice concept however, and the community court in Nottingham will be able to begin operation, just as Liverpool and Salford did, prior to receiving these powers.