Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an estimate of the level of pay rise that would be required for probation officers for their salaries to be at the same real-terms level they were in 2010.

Probation is currently in a multi-year pay deal covering the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2025.

This pay deal has provided certainty in pay increases throughout the period while securing necessary reforms to the pay structure helping to resolve some longstanding pay issues. Engagement will shortly commence with Trade Unions about a new pay deal effective 1 April 2025, working within the parameters set by the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance. We have already brought forward the pay increase for 2024/25 from October to April of that year to provide earlier access to increased pay for our hardworking probation officers, who we acknowledge are under acute pressure.