Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to provide adequate funding to the Probation Service for meeting its additional responsibilities in the Sentencing Bill.

We continue to invest in Probation to ensure workloads are manageable and the changes from the Independent Sentencing Review are sustainable.

The Probation and community services budget will increase by up to £700 million (a 45% rise) by 2028/2029.

An initial £8 million will be invested in technology to reduce administration and free up officers to focus on managing risk and reducing reoffending.