Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to help reduce (a) delays and (b) service disruptions for Probation Workers caused by (i) staffing levels and (ii) office closures.

Staffing levels are regularly monitored and analysed, and we remain committed to providing manageable workloads for staff, as well as ensuring continuity of service. Recruitment and retention, along with our long-term plans for a sustainable Probation Service through targeting the most vital work are priorities.

There is a comprehensive approach by HMPPS to improve retention across the Probation Service and since unification in June 2021 there has been an overall increase to probation staffing by 20%. In the last 12 months, from 30 June 2024 to 30 June 2025 we have increased our number of Probation Officers by 7% (359 FTE) from 5,160 to 5,519 FTE.

We are investing in probation - onboarding 1,300 trainee probation officers by March 2026 in addition to the 1,057 already on-boarded last year. We have extended centralised recruitment campaigns for key grades to reduce the time it takes to fill operational roles.

This Government is investing up to £300 million in prison & probation maintenance for 2025-26, to keep the estate safe and secure. This is an increase in spending on 2024-25, which will support essential repairs, ongoing maintenance, and efforts to minimise future closures.