Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to rebuild confidence in community rehabilitation companies with judges.

It is vital that the public and the judiciary have confidence in alternatives to custody such as community sentences, and the probation services who deliver them.

On 16 May 2019 the Government set out plans for the future of probation in England and Wales. From spring 2021, our reforms will see a stronger role for the National Probation Service in managing all offenders, greater voluntary sector involvement in rehabilitation, and the private sector leading where it has specialist experience and can support innovation.

By streamlining the system, our changes will improve the flow of information to sentencers on the probation services available in their areas. Our changes will also ensure a wider range of rehabilitative programmes, so that courts can better tailor community sentences to the individual needs of offenders.

In addition, the implementation of the “Liaison arrangements between sentencers and providers of probation services” Probation Instruction 05/2018 will ensure there is effective communication and dialogue with sentencers on issues of joint interest and concern.