Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Review of Unpaid Work under the Target Operating Model for the reunified national probation service will (a) commence and (b) complete.

The unified Probation Service assumed responsibility for the delivery of Community Payback in June 2021, providing significant opportunities for reform. The Target Operating Model outlines our ambition for Community Payback, including initiatives to improve delivery, increase placement quality and better meet the needs of offenders.

As part of these reforms, the Government is relaunching Community Payback to ensure offenders are visibly and publicly making reparations for their crimes by undertaking work that benefits their local areas. We are investing an additional £93m in Community Payback over the next three years to bolster delivery and facilitate the relaunch.

This work has commenced through our first national agreement (with the Canal and River Trust) which previews a new strategic approach to delivering high quality placements at scale, the introduction of a statutory duty to consult on Community Payback in the PCSC Bill and the piloting of a digital assessment.

Wider changes to Community Payback outlined in the Target Operating Model are part of a long-term investment in Probation services and will be implemented gradually.