Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the recommendations in the report by Women in Prison entitled The Value of Women's Centres, published on 7 October 2022, if he will provide ring-fenced funding for specialist services led by and for (a) Black women, (b) women from other ethnic minorities, (c) deaf women, (d) disabled women, (e) LBTQ+ women and (f) women with other protected characteristics.

The Government understands the important role women’s centres and women’s community sector organisations play in supporting women to address the underlying causes of their offending behaviour and to turn their lives around. This is why the Ministry of Justice is investing up to £21 million grant funding in women’s community services between 2022 and 2025. Organisations applying for grant funding are required to explain how they would deliver effective support to women with protected characteristics, particularly how they would address any barriers to engagement. Funding will be confirmed in early 2023.

In addition to the current grant funding, we have invested almost £46 million in women’s Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS) contracts since June 2021, which will deliver bespoke and specialist support to women in probation and is tailored to individual needs, including protected characteristics, to address their offending behaviour.

The Probation Service has also launched the CRS General Grant Scheme to provide support, including provision for people on probation or in prison with protected characteristics or shared experiences. Grants within this theme can be for a value between £8,000 - £150,000 per year for a period of up to three years per grant award. The first competition under this scheme was launched in September and was targeted at services for people from an ethnic minority background who are on probation.