Probation Service: Recruitment and Retention 2026-09-15
2026-09-15
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
There is a significant shortage of probation officers with thousands of vacancies and a high turnover rate.
What steps has the Department taken to increase the size of the probation workforce?
The recruitment and retention of probation staff is a high priority for me and for the Government. We are committed to recruiting and retaining our brilliant and dedicated probation workforce so that they can supervise and manage offenders in the community and keep the public safe.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer does not provide specific steps or commitments for increasing the probation workforce.
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
The Probation Service has been facing a funding crisis with significant pay freezes and real-term cuts over the past decade and a half, leading to high vacancy rates.
The Probation Service is suffering from thousands of vacancies and a poor retention rate. The extra £700 million announced for the Probation Service is welcome, but does the Minister agree that some of this funding needs to support Probation Service salaries, which have been eroded?
My hon. Friend should be reassured to know that the retention rate of the Probation Service has improved significantly since this Government came to office. The south-west Probation Service has reported some of the best retention rates in the country, but we are investing £700 million into probation and the community. We are committed to supporting them, and discussions around pay are ongoing.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer does not specifically address whether the funding will be used to support probation salaries.
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
A probation service client with a history of domestic violence was released from prison with threats made against his former partner and child, causing her to live in fear and requiring rehousing.
After releasing a man with a history of domestic violence from prison, the Probation Service told his former partner that he had made threats against both her and her child as he was being released. Unsurprisingly, she now lives in fear. The Probation Service even told my local authority that it needs to rehouse her for her own safety. Will the Minister urgently look at this case and agree to increase the probation workforce to ensure that this incident never happens again?
I am concerned to hear what the hon. Gentleman says, and I will look further into that case. We are committed to ensuring that we have the probation workforce so that people are safe and can feel confident that they are safe.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer does not commit to an increase in the probation workforce.
Response accuracy
Q4
Partial Answer
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Context
The Government has released thousands of dangerous criminals on to the streets while the number of probation officers has decreased, and electronic tagging has been suggested as a solution, but the National Audit Office has highlighted problems with it.
The Minister knows that there has been a decrease in probation officers in the past year, yet at the same time the Government have released thousands of dangerous criminals on to our streets. The Government's answer is electronic tagging, but the National Audit Office has highlighted problems. Only 10% to 50% of alerts result in breach notifications, and nearly half result in no further action. Can she guarantee that in the next year, every tagging breach will come with consequences?
We are giving probation the widest and toughest range of tools ever to restrict offenders and their movements and to help protect victims. We are continuing to invest in strengthening the Probation Service via recruitment and digital improvements. We are building capacity, after years of the service being run down under the previous Government.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer does not provide a guarantee that every tagging breach will come with consequences.
Response accuracy