Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Reoffending on Probation

Tuesday 3 June 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Funding for probation services will increase by 700 million by the final year of the spending review.
  • The Lord Chancellor stated that the previous government contributed to the current state of prisons.
  • The Lord Chancellor emphasized that sentencing reforms are necessary to address prison capacity issues.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Warinder Juss Lab Wolverhampton West
Justice & Courts Employment
Context

Reoffending rates remain high with 80% of offenders being reoffenders. The Lord Chancellor recently announced measures to toughen community punishment.

Question

What steps are being taken to recruit and retain probation officers, ensuring they have manageable caseloads and improved morale? What programmes or partnerships are in place to help those on probation access stable accommodation and employment?

Answer from Shabana Mahmood (Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice)

Funding will increase by £700 million by the final year of the spending review, a 45% increase in annual budgets. This will fund further recruitment on top of the 1,300 officers to be recruited this year and the 1,000 officers recruited last year. The investment supports services that rehabilitate offenders and reduce crime.

Answered
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Q2 Richard Holden Con Basildon and Billericay
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

The Lord Chancellor acknowledged in an interview that sentencing reforms could create tensions with the government's efforts to halve knife crime and violence against women. Mr Holden questions if these reforms are effective.

Question

Does the Lord Chancellor realise that her sentencing reforms will create inevitable tensions with efforts to reduce crime, and that the country will hold her accountable for any failure?

Answer from Shabana Mahmood (Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice)

I think the country will hold to account those responsible for the absolute mess this Government inherited. The previous Government, which Mr Holden supported, brought prisons to the brink of collapse. These reforms are necessary; our prisons cannot run out of places.

Not addressed: The Lord Chancellor shifted focus to criticising the previous government's policies and performance instead of addressing potential conflicts with sentencing reforms.

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