Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the extent of provision in the community for female offenders in (a) the North West, (b) Lancashire and (c) Pendle constituency.

Community provision for female offenders is provided by Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and the National Probation Service (part of the National Offender Management Service). CRC contracts are managed by the National Offender Management Service. The National Probation Service works closely with the CRCs to align services for female offenders. Effective delivery of services to female offenders was identified as a priority area when the CRC contracts were awarded, and contract managers have systems in place to monitor and assure compliance with contractual requirements.