Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many community rehabilitation companies are in dispute with his Department on the payment mechanism.

No Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) is in formal dispute with the department. We have undertaken an overarching review of probation, looking at the standards we set for providers and how we hold them to account. We have already made some changes to how CRCs are paid so they can focus on activities that best rehabilitate offenders and keep society safe. The details of these negotiations are commercially sensitive.