Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Service Credits each community rehabilitation company has had to pay in compensation for the minimum level of loss or damage as a result of a reduced provision of services.

We hold providers rigorously to account for their performance and take proportional action wherever they are falling short. Our contract management teams closely monitor and robustly manage providers to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments to maintain service delivery, reduce reoffending, protect the public and provide value for money to the taxpayer. However, we cannot release the exact number of Service Credits each Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) has had to pay as it is commercially sensitive information.

Service Credits can be applied when providers do not meet the required standards. Service Credits are a payment made by the CRC back to the Government, as a means of compensating for services under the contract where the CRC fails to meet the contractual service levels expected.