Question to the Ministry of Justice:

What assessment he has made of the effect of reforms to the National Probation Service on the operation of the victim contact scheme.

The Victim Contact Scheme is a fundamental part of the government’s commitment to victims of crime.

The National Probation Service continue to monitor the impact of probation reform on its services. As part of this it reviews Victim Liaison Officer resource levels.

All victim contact was allocated to the National Probation Service following reforms to probation: the remit and scope of the Victim Liaison Officers remained the same.

The review we have conducted on the impact of probation reform on the Victim Liaison Officer service has allowed us to robustly assess demand and has led to an increase from 169 to 189 Victim Liaison Officers.