Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the HMI Probation report of 15 December 2016 entitled Quality and Impact inspection: the effectiveness of probation work in the north of London, what steps she is taking to tackle the issues raised on probation services in (a) Barnet and (b) north London.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
Public protection, including work to reduce re-offending, is our priority and we have taken immediate steps to address the issues raised in the Quality and Impact Inspection report.
We have deployed a specialist taskforce of independent probation experts to make sure London Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) is addressing areas of underperformance.
London CRC is implementing an immediate improvement plan to show progress against HM Inspectorate’s recommendations. This includes strengthening management oversight, addressing staff capacity and capability issues and reconfiguring how probation services are delivered. The National Probation Service is working closely with the CRC and the contract management teams to support improvements.
We are confident that these urgent measures will address the concerns raised by HM Inspectorate of Probation.