Oral Answers to Questions

Perran Moon Excerpts

Tuesday 15th September 2026 Commons Chamber

[Perran Moon (Camborne and Redruth) (Lab)]

5. What steps his Department has taken to increase the size of the probation workforce.

[The Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending (Catherine McKinnell)]

The recruitment and retention of probation staff is a high priority for me and for the Government. We are absolutely committed to recruiting and retaining our brilliant and dedicated probation workforce so that they can supervise and manage offenders in the community and keep the public safe.

[Perran Moon]

The Probation Service is suffering from thousands of vacancies and a pretty appalling retention rate. The extra £700 million announced for the Probation Service from this Government is welcome, but does the Minister accept that some of that needs to support Probation Service salaries, which have been massively eroded after a decade and a half of pay freezes and real-term cuts?

[Catherine McKinnell]

My hon. Friend should be reassured to know that the retention rate of the Probation Service has improved significantly since this Government came to office. The south-west Probation Service has reported some of the best retention rates in the country, but we are investing £700 million into probation and the community. We are committed to supporting them, and discussions around pay are ongoing.