Oral Answers to Questions

Nicholas Brown Excerpts

Tuesday 1st July 2014 Commons Chamber

[Nia Griffith (Llanelli) (Lab)]

3. What the Government’s strategy is for the future of the probation service.

[Mr Nicholas Brown (Newcastle upon Tyne East) (Lab)]

19. What progress he has made on changes to the provision of probation services.

[The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (Chris Grayling)]

Reoffending rates remain unacceptably high, particularly among short-sentenced offenders. By bringing in a diverse market of providers, paying by results for reductions in reoffending, and extending rehabilitation to all offenders leaving custody, we can bring down these reoffending rates. We are on track to deliver these essential reforms by 2015.

[Chris Grayling]

We have been bedding in the new system over the past month. I have been monitoring carefully what is happening. For example, the level of recalls has not changed significantly as a result of the changes. We are pushing ahead with the changes, and the organisational changes in particular, while the probation service is in the public sector to ensure that we can iron out the inevitable teething problems that accompany such a change. I am confident that good progress is being made, and public safety remains our No. 1 priority.

[Mr Nicholas Brown]

What is the Secretary of State’s latest estimate of the costs of his disastrous reorganisation of the probation service?

[Chris Grayling]

As a result of the reforms to the probation service, the criminal justice system will save money in the coming years as reoffending is brought down. It has for a long time been a travesty that those who go to jail for less than 12 months receive no supervision, support or mentoring at all when they leave. If we could just bring reoffending levels among that group down closer to the rates of those who do receive support and supervision, we would see a massive reduction in the costs of our justice system.