Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of probation assessments carried out by each community rehabilitation company were administered (a) by telephone and (b) face-to-face in the latest period for which figures are available.

The information requested is not collated centrally. Some Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) currently use telephone reporting as just one part of their operating models, in addition to regular reporting in person, where it is an appropriate tool for the individual case.

Contract management teams continue to closely monitor and robustly manage providers to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments to reduce reoffending, protect the public and provide value for money to the taxpayer.

We have fundamentally reformed probation so that for the first time ever all offenders given a custodial sentence receive probation support. We remain in discussion with CRCs ensure our ambitious reforms are delivered successfully.