Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the early release scheme on the Probation Service; and what additional support and funding they are providing to the Probation Service in connection with that scheme.

SDS40 has resulted in certain offenders being released from custody earlier. This has led to extended periods on licence within the community, thereby increasing costs for the Probation Service and the Electronic Monitoring Service.

An Impact Assessment has been conducted and is published here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2024/117/pdfs/ukia_20240117_en.pdf.

Unlike the previous Government’s disastrous early release scheme, SDS40 is being managed carefully to ensure that the Probation Service is adequately prepared and able to plan effectively for release.

The Lord Chancellor announced new measures on 12 February to address the pressures faced by the Probation Service. These measures include:

• Recruiting 1,300 more probation officers in the next financial year, in addition to the 1,000 officers committed to by the end of this financial year.

• Keeping the public safe by concentrating on high-risk offenders, ensuring that lower-risk offenders are moved through the system quickly and referred to services that can help manage any addictions, secure jobs, and housing.

• Making better use of technology, including AI, to free up probation officers' time.