Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to improve probation services.

The Probation Service plays a crucial role in protecting the public and reducing reoffending. We are strengthening probation by building a supported, skilled and resilient workforce that can deliver high quality supervision, focused on the areas of highest risk, and delivered within manageable caseloads. In recognition of this, we are onboarding at least 1,000 new trainee Probation Officers by the end of March 2025, diversifying entry pathways into the service, and supporting targeted recruitment campaigns to boost applications for key roles and reduce hiring time.

The Government is committed to learning from successful examples of local partnerships, supporting the whole service to improve join-up and deliver better outcomes. We are continuously assessing the service and are prepared to take further steps to support the service to deliver, including exploring how technology can be used improve efficiency.