Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that the courts have robust and reliable non-custodial sentences available to them.

The sentencing framework already gives courts the flexibility to select community order requirements which are a robust alternative to custody, and are tailored to address the specific issues that contribute to reoffending. We are committed to ensuring that community penalties are tough, effective and command the confidence of sentencers, and are continuing to explore further improvements that could be made to probation services.