Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the update to recommendation 10 on page 25 of the Lammy Review, what assessment his Department has made of the cost of each of the pilots in (a) London (North West Borough Command Unit), (b) Surrey, (c) Cumbria and (d) West Yorkshire; and when his Department plans to publish an interim report on the effectiveness of those pilots.

The Ministry of Justice has partnered with police forces, Police and Crime Commissioners and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime in London to develop pilots of a Chance to Change (‘deferred prosecution’) model in London (North West Borough Command Unit), Surrey and West Yorkshire. Cumbria are no longer pursuing a pilot.

Pilots are yet to fully commence, however, once they are operational we will share updates on progress within wider updates on tackling racial disparity work. Pilot areas have been asked to assess the effectiveness of their schemes. Results on effectiveness should include data on reoffending which will not be available until at least 12 months after any period considered, so will not be immediately available.

The department has not made an assessment of the cost of each of the pilots.