Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will (a) make assessment of the effectiveness of existing funding and (b) take steps to establish a cross-Departmental fund for women’s community services.

Further to the £9.5 million invested in the women’s community sector since the publication of the Female Offender Strategy in June 2018, in September 2022 we announced funding of up to £21 million until 2025. All MoJ grant funding is subject to a rigorous bid process that requires successful recipients to report on the effectiveness of funding.

An Impact Assessment will be published alongside the forthcoming Female Offender Strategy Delivery Plan that will include an estimate of the number of additional women that could be supported through women’s services as a result of our funding.

The effectiveness of our funding for women’s community services will be evaluated and inform future funding decisions, overseen by the Ministerial Women in Criminal Justice System board.