Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department plans to take steps to ensure individuals subject to a community order are able to complete their unpaid work in a neighbouring local authority area.

Community Payback allows offenders to pay recompense to the communities they have harmed by completing between 40 and 300 hours of unpaid work. The work primarily takes place in the local area to where the offender resides. This allows for reduced travel time to projects and for the offender to make reparation to their local community. There are certain circumstances when this arrangement deviates. Where are compelling reasons relating to local placement such as links to local gangs and employment considerations, steps can be taken to change the project to another local authority area.