Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December to Question 118432, how many times a Contract Management Team has notified a Community Rehabilitation Company that its staffing level is insufficient.

This Question has been interpreted as asking whether Contract Management Teams (CMTs) have formally notified Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) that staffing levels are too low and that action should be taken to increase staffing. I can confirm that over the last 12 months, CMTs have not formally notified any CRCs to take action to increase staffing levels.

The contracts with CRCs require each CRC to ensure that it employs a sufficient level of staff, and that its workforce is competent and adequately trained. Our CMTs closely monitor and robustly manage providers on a local basis, taking into account the regional context, to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments to reduce reoffending, protect the public and provide value for money to the taxpayer.