Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the total cost to the public purse of (a) translation and (b) interpretation for foreign languages with regards to asylum claim appeals.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice holds some, but not all, of the information requested. The information available for the most recent full financial year is set out below.
Interpretation spend in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber (asylum claim appeals) for FY25/26 was as follows:
FY | Interpretation spend |
FY25/26 | £5,811,761 |
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his department has made of the potential impact of the early releases of offenders on public confidence in the justice system.
Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe.
Whilst measures like the SDS40 change provided the intended medium-term relief to the system, this was only ever a temporary change as a bridge to a more sustainable solution. That is why the Sentencing Act has been passed, to ensure we never run out of prison space again and to deliver a more sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis.
The Sentencing Act 2026 introduces a new “Progression model” for standard determinate sentences, which creates a three-stage sentence: time in custody, a period of intensive supervision in the community, and a final licence stage. Offenders found by the court to be dangerous – those on Extended Determinate Sentences – will not be eligible. They will not be released any earlier than they are now; they can only be released after serving at least two-thirds of their custodial term when deemed safe by the Parole Board. Likewise, offenders serving a life sentence or a Sentence for Offenders of Particular Concern will be out of scope of the progression model.
Under the model, for offenders serving standard determinate sentences, the Act states that the earliest release point will be one-third. For those serving standard determinate plus sentences for certain serious violent or sexual offences, their earliest possible release will be one-half. Those who behave badly can be held in custody for longer through the independent adjudications process. The maximum number of added days per incident will be doubled.
All offenders will remain on licence to the end of their sentence and where an offender breaches their licence conditions, probation have a full suite of options for managing this, including recall to prison. We are also introducing restriction zones for the most serious sexual and violent offenders where appropriate, which will be enforced by electronic monitoring. Victims who are eligible and opted into the Victim Contact Scheme will be notified of an offender’s release, in line with existing practice and will continue to be able to make representations for licence conditions such as exclusion zones and no-contact orders.
This Government is committed to supporting all victims, including those who have experienced violence or domestic abuse. We are investing a record £550 million into victim support services over the next three years. Our Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, “Freedom from violence and abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls” also outlines the concrete actions we are taking to halve VAWG in a decade, including by bearing down on perpetrators and supporting victims to get justice and heal.
The measures in the Act highlight that this Government is committed to strengthening public protection and ensuring the Probation Service has the tools and capacity it needs to keep communities safe, protect victims and change lives.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the early release of offenders on victims of (a) violent crime and (b) domestic violence.
Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe.
Whilst measures like the SDS40 change provided the intended medium-term relief to the system, this was only ever a temporary change as a bridge to a more sustainable solution. That is why the Sentencing Act has been passed, to ensure we never run out of prison space again and to deliver a more sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis.
The Sentencing Act 2026 introduces a new “Progression model” for standard determinate sentences, which creates a three-stage sentence: time in custody, a period of intensive supervision in the community, and a final licence stage. Offenders found by the court to be dangerous – those on Extended Determinate Sentences – will not be eligible. They will not be released any earlier than they are now; they can only be released after serving at least two-thirds of their custodial term when deemed safe by the Parole Board. Likewise, offenders serving a life sentence or a Sentence for Offenders of Particular Concern will be out of scope of the progression model.
Under the model, for offenders serving standard determinate sentences, the Act states that the earliest release point will be one-third. For those serving standard determinate plus sentences for certain serious violent or sexual offences, their earliest possible release will be one-half. Those who behave badly can be held in custody for longer through the independent adjudications process. The maximum number of added days per incident will be doubled.
All offenders will remain on licence to the end of their sentence and where an offender breaches their licence conditions, probation have a full suite of options for managing this, including recall to prison. We are also introducing restriction zones for the most serious sexual and violent offenders where appropriate, which will be enforced by electronic monitoring. Victims who are eligible and opted into the Victim Contact Scheme will be notified of an offender’s release, in line with existing practice and will continue to be able to make representations for licence conditions such as exclusion zones and no-contact orders.
This Government is committed to supporting all victims, including those who have experienced violence or domestic abuse. We are investing a record £550 million into victim support services over the next three years. Our Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, “Freedom from violence and abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls” also outlines the concrete actions we are taking to halve VAWG in a decade, including by bearing down on perpetrators and supporting victims to get justice and heal.
The measures in the Act highlight that this Government is committed to strengthening public protection and ensuring the Probation Service has the tools and capacity it needs to keep communities safe, protect victims and change lives.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will outline his plans for increasing the number of early prison releases.
Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe.
Whilst measures like the SDS40 change provided the intended medium-term relief to the system, this was only ever a temporary change as a bridge to a more sustainable solution. That is why the Sentencing Act has been passed, to ensure we never run out of prison space again and to deliver a more sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis.
The Sentencing Act 2026 introduces a new “Progression model” for standard determinate sentences, which creates a three-stage sentence: time in custody, a period of intensive supervision in the community, and a final licence stage. Offenders found by the court to be dangerous – those on Extended Determinate Sentences – will not be eligible. They will not be released any earlier than they are now; they can only be released after serving at least two-thirds of their custodial term when deemed safe by the Parole Board. Likewise, offenders serving a life sentence or a Sentence for Offenders of Particular Concern will be out of scope of the progression model.
Under the model, for offenders serving standard determinate sentences, the Act states that the earliest release point will be one-third. For those serving standard determinate plus sentences for certain serious violent or sexual offences, their earliest possible release will be one-half. Those who behave badly can be held in custody for longer through the independent adjudications process. The maximum number of added days per incident will be doubled.
All offenders will remain on licence to the end of their sentence and where an offender breaches their licence conditions, probation have a full suite of options for managing this, including recall to prison. We are also introducing restriction zones for the most serious sexual and violent offenders where appropriate, which will be enforced by electronic monitoring. Victims who are eligible and opted into the Victim Contact Scheme will be notified of an offender’s release, in line with existing practice and will continue to be able to make representations for licence conditions such as exclusion zones and no-contact orders.
This Government is committed to supporting all victims, including those who have experienced violence or domestic abuse. We are investing a record £550 million into victim support services over the next three years. Our Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, “Freedom from violence and abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls” also outlines the concrete actions we are taking to halve VAWG in a decade, including by bearing down on perpetrators and supporting victims to get justice and heal.
The measures in the Act highlight that this Government is committed to strengthening public protection and ensuring the Probation Service has the tools and capacity it needs to keep communities safe, protect victims and change lives.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the probation service is adequately resourced.
Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Funding for probation and community services will increase by up to £700 million by 2028/29. This funding will support delivery of the reforms recommended by the Independent Sentencing Review. As part of this increased investment, this Government will invest £100 million over the Spending Review period to deliver the largest expansion in the use of Electronic Monitoring.
Recruitment and training of staff remain key priorities for this Government. The Probation Service exceeded our 2025/26 trainee Probation Officers target of 1,300, successfully onboarding 1,389 trainees. We have committed to onboarding at least 1,300 new trainee Probation Officers in 2026/27 and we are also carrying out improvement activity to support growth in the service through recruitment, particularly to roles which are historically harder to recruit to.
Through the Our Future Probation Service (OFPS) Programme, this Government will rebalance demand and capacity across the Probation Service. This will reduce probation workloads by 25% by April 2027 and ensure the Service is in the position to deliver the sentencing reforms.
As part of the OFPS Programme, we will introduce process improvements, policy changes and develop better digital tools to reduce the administrative burden on probation practitioners. These will enable staff to focus more on public protection and rehabilitation. This includes the deployment of Justice Transcribe, an AI-powered tool that converts meeting audio into accurate summaries and reduces the time practitioners spend writing notes by around 10 minutes per meeting. Between 7 October 2025 and 2 June 2026, over 800,000 meetings were summarised using Justice Transcribe, resulting in a saving of around 130,000 hours.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to support victim liaison officers.
Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
It is vital that information about an offender’s release is available to victims who need it most. Victims who are eligible for, and who have opted into, the Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme or Victim Notification Scheme will be allocated a Victim Liaison Officer who will keep the victim updated on key stages throughout the sentence. This includes keeping victims informed, where appropriate, about any significant developments or changes relating to the sentence, including but not limited to changes to release dates.
The Victims Team in the Public Protection Group of His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service provides comprehensive support to Victim Liaison Officers and their managers, to enable them to communicate such changes effectively. This support includes specific briefings, guidance and template letters, to be adapted according to a victim’s individual circumstances.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase victim training as part of the professional qualification in probation.
Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP) has a focus on victims throughout and is central to Probation practice and learning. The PQiP curriculum underwent full review and relaunch in March 2024.
The focus on victims is embedded throughout the comprehensive PQiP learning curriculum, which includes a number of learning products specific to public protection, risk assessment and management and effective victim safety planning. This includes specific Victim Contact Scheme and Effective Sentence Management learning.
As with all aspects of the Probation learning offer the PQiP Programme is subject to continuous improvement processes to ensure it remains up to date. There are no current plans to increase the amount of training in relation to victims specifically in PQiP at present.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase support for victims of domestic violence.
Answered by Catherine Atkinson
The Ministry of Justice is investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years - the biggest investment in these services to date. We will be increasing funding for victim support services year on year, from 2026 to 2029, recognising the need to meet the rising cost pressures of delivery.
The Ministry of Justice provides all Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales with core grant funding for victims of all crime types, alongside ring-fenced funding for domestic and sexual abuse services. PCCs assess local needs and commission services accordingly, ensuring that support is tailored to the communities they serve.
In November 2025, the Government announced the abolition of PCCs as part of a broader programme of reforms set out in the Police Reform White Paper. In light of this, we are exploring changes to the delivery of victims funding to ensure it is delivered in the best way in the future. We recognise the important work PCCs and Mayors currently play in commissioning vital support services for victims and witnesses, including those affected by domestic abuse. Ensuring ongoing support for victims is a key priority for this Government.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) wellbeing and (b) working conditions for prison officers.
Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Staff Wellbeing Support – Prisons
The Department recognises the unique challenges faced by prison staff and is improving wellbeing through a structured support framework that enables timely access to support, early intervention, and effective wellbeing management by line managers.
Following critical incidents, trained Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) practitioners, care teams, Mental Health Allies, and the Critical Incident Support Service provide structured debriefs and targeted follow-up support. Preventative support is available through wellbeing workshops, reflective practice sessions, extensive mental health support, and wellbeing resources.
All staff have access to a confidential Employee Assistance Programme, available 24/7, alongside Occupational Health services that provide independent clinical assessments, advice on workplace adjustments and fitness for work, and access to specialist therapies, for example Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), where clinically appropriate.
This approach ensures that staff are supported through a combination of managerial, peer, and professional interventions, reflecting our commitment to embedding wellbeing as a core operational priority.
Working conditions for prison officers
Staff must be able to expect a safe and decent work environment. We are investing around £15 million in protective equipment to help keep frontline staff working in prisons safe, including expanding the use of tasers and providing more protective body armour. Body Worn Video Cameras are available in adult public sector prisons, and staff in the adult male estate also have batons, rigid-bar hand cuffs and synthetic pepper spray (PAVA).
We recognise prison officers deserve a fair reward for their challenging work. The Government has accepted all 12 of the independent recommendations put forward by the PSPRB for 2026/27. The pay award delivers a 3.5% increase to all frontline prison staff. Following the 2026/27 Prison Service pay award, the starting salary for an entry level officer has risen from £35,875 to £37,131 (national rate, 39 hours with unsocial hours).
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of prison officers.
Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) continues to recruit across all prisons where vacancies exist or are anticipated, including those undergoing expansion.
Recruitment processes are being strengthened to ensure candidates have the skills and attributes required for the Prison Officer role, aligned to the Enable Programme. Assessment tools are designed, wherever possible, to provide a realistic job preview and to filter out unsuitable applicants early, allowing the strongest candidates to progress.
A range of national and local interventions support recruitment, including the Advance into Justice (AiJ) scheme for Armed Forces leavers and veterans, and initiatives such as the Prison Officer Alumni Network and National Returners Scheme, which encourage former officers to re-join the service.
The ‘Extraordinary Jobs’ campaign aims to increase awareness of Prison Officer roles, challenge misconceptions, and highlight the positive impact of the work, encouraging more applications.
Prisons are also supported to improve onboarding by taking greater ownership of applicant pipelines, including offering local familiarisation visits prior to start dates.
HMPPS is taking a comprehensive approach to retention across both Prison and Probation Services. A new employee experience and retention framework is due later in 2026, supported by a retention toolkit based on analysis of attrition drivers. This enables targeted interventions at local, regional and national levels.
Structured exit interviews and a retention oversight process identify issues at high-attrition sites, with deep dives led by occupational psychologists. National activity is coordinated through the Retention Delivery Committee to ensure alignment and minimise operational disruption.