I cannot do that. At the moment, as I have said, we are undertaking a small-scale pilot in Staffordshire, Hampshire and London, with a cost of about £1.5 million per year. We have had 13 places available and approximately 35 people have passed through those places during the course of the pilot. We are evaluating the pilot, which is undertaken under different legislation. The purpose of this Bill is to subsume the provisions of that legislation into a generic order to make that available. We hope that the pilot will be evaluated and rolled out. I am discussing funding with colleagues in the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Youth Justice Board. We will consult with local authorities on those placements, but I have to say that local authorities will almost certainly have to take up a large part of the cost of those placements.

Once again, however, I would like to refer the hon. and learned Member for Harborough and the rest of the Committee back to our helpful evidence-taking sessions. During our fourth sitting, Councillor Les Lawrence, speaking on behalf of the LGA and replying to the hon. and learned Gentleman, said:

“The early indication is that the number of places and the resources, working with the court and the other agencies, are sufficient at this point, as is the number of places that are required to match the number of available resources.”——[Official Report, Criminal Justice and Immigration Public Bill Committee, 18 October 2007; c. 141, Q285.]

He was speaking in relation to intensive fostering.

I am seeking the Committee’s permission to ensure in the legislative framework that we have intensive fostering available as part of the YRO. I hope that the Committee will understand that the benefits for individuals who have experienced intensive fostering are accepted. The pilot will run its course and be evaluated, but to date it has been shown to be quite successful in preventing reoffending. I hope that the Committee takes on trust my statement that the Government are considering funding arrangements with the YJB and the Department of Children, Schools and Families. However, in the event of this scheme being rolled out, consultation will take place with local authorities about the availability of places, if courts sought to exercise the order.

I would again like to quote from the YJB’s written evidence to the Committee. The YJB said:

“It is also welcome that the YRO will include a fostering requirement as another clear alternative to custody allowing for use of the Intensive Fostering programme currently being piloted by the YJB.”

The clear intention, as shown in the evidence to the Committee from the chief executive of the YJB, is that an intensive fostering requirement will be an alternative to custody. From my discussions with colleagues in Committee, including Opposition Members, I know that one of their objectives is to ensure that we keep young people out of custody. This order, which is being piloted and examined in detail, gives the potential to meet that objective, subject to the caveat that the local authority would have to be consulted. In other words, in real terms the local authority would have to agree to take on the burden of funding that place and meeting that resource. We are looking to see what guidance and support that we can give centrally, in terms of monitoring standards, examining that provision and encouraging its wider use.

Therefore, I hope that the Committee will agree, not only with me, but with the LGA, the YJB and others, that intensive fostering has the potential to make an important contribution to the mix of community penalties that are available to the courts, and to provide a robust and effective alternative to custody. I hope that the comments that I have made have reassured the hon. and learned Gentleman about the use of that provision. I urge him to reflect upon what I have said and to withdraw his Amendment.