Question
Untitled item
S6W-13062 · Written Question · lodged by Greene, Jamie
Lodged on
07 Dec 2022Heard / answered on
20 Dec 2022To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported statistics showing that the level of unpaid work that offenders need to carry out has risen to more than 700,000 hours.
The answer
We are confident in local authorities’ ability to deliver unpaid work and other community orders but we recognise the huge impact which the pandemic had on justice social work and the ongoing efforts to ensure an effective and sustainable recovery.
We continue to work with key partners including Social Work Scotland, COSLA, and Community Justice Scotland to monitor recovery work, including measuring the level of outstanding unpaid work hours regularly and exploring any issues arising.
At present, management information indicates that the number of outstanding unpaid work hours across Scotland is close to pre-pandemic levels, at around 720,000 hours in November 2022 compared to around 690,000 hours in April 2020. Having some outstanding hours in the system is normal, as it takes time for individuals to undertake the unpaid work they have been sentenced to.
The ongoing recovery work is also supported through the draft budget for 2023-24, which maintains the additional funding of £15m provided in 2022-23 for justice social work services.
We continue to work with key partners including Social Work Scotland, COSLA, and Community Justice Scotland to monitor recovery work, including measuring the level of outstanding unpaid work hours regularly and exploring any issues arising.
At present, management information indicates that the number of outstanding unpaid work hours across Scotland is close to pre-pandemic levels, at around 720,000 hours in November 2022 compared to around 690,000 hours in April 2020. Having some outstanding hours in the system is normal, as it takes time for individuals to undertake the unpaid work they have been sentenced to.
The ongoing recovery work is also supported through the draft budget for 2023-24, which maintains the additional funding of £15m provided in 2022-23 for justice social work services.
Answered by Keith Brown on 20 Dec 2022.