Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what contingency plans he has made for the supervision of offenders on licence in the event of industrial action by probation officers.

The Probation Service has robust contingency plans in place to manage a variety of scenarios including the impact of any industrial action. These plans prioritise essential and critical statutory duties to maintain public protection functions. These arrangements are kept under review to maintain operational resilience.

The Department continues to engage constructively with recognised probation trade unions to seek to resolve disputes and avoid industrial action.