Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many civil servants his Department employs to work on public service innovation.

The Department does not hold information centrally on the number of staff in innovation roles.

The Department is committed to enabling all parts of the organisation to embrace the innovative thinking that can deliver improvements in outcomes and value for money. Steps being taken to create the conditions for innovation to flourish in all parts of the MoJ include supporting the capability in our leadership team, ensuring that our structures and governance allow civil servants to approach problems in new ways and providing guidance and standards on how to pilot new ideas.

Examples of the types of innovation being implemented include construction of the new prison at Full Sutton which is due to open in 2025 and will use around 70% less energy than HMP Five Wells and Fosse Way, and is the UK’s first all-electric prison, and the significant increase in the use of technology across the Department’s services, from remote parole and court hearings, to virtual prison visits, and a significant increase in virtual and hybrid meetings.