Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they intend to take following critical reports by HM Inspectorate of Prisons and Probation; and in particular, whether they intend to review the management of the probation service.

We take the views of our independent inspectorates very seriously. We have established a team in Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) to ensure that agreed recommendations are implemented swiftly and lessons are learned. Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and the National Probation Service (NPS) develop action plans in response to the inspection reports and HMPPS closely monitors their implementation.

We recognise that CRC performance needs to improve. We have already changed contracts so that payments to CRCs more accurately reflect the costs of delivering services to offenders, and we are discussing with providers further improvements we might make to services.