Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the report, A thematic review of work to prepare for the unification of probation services, published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation in May 2021, what steps he is taking to ensure there is good understanding of the criteria for applications to the regional outcomes and innovation fund.

We published the criteria for the use of Regional Outcomes and Innovations Fund as part of the updated Target Operating Model for probation in February 2021. Central criteria have been set to support Regional Probation Directors to focus the Fund on the wider needs of offenders in their area, to ensure fair processes for awarding funding, and to support appropriate evaluation and maximum value for money from investments. Systems and dedicated staff will be in place in each region to enable them to make their decisions, and there will be central support and scrutiny from effective practice, commissioning, commercial and evaluation experts to oversee its use.