This House of Lords Library Briefing provides information on some of the proposed changes to probation services identified the Government’s recent consultation, 'Strengthening Probation, Building Confidence'.
Probation Services: Reforms and Proposed Future Changes (199 KB , PDF)
The probation services framework in England and Wales has been subject to significant reforms in recent years. This briefing considers structural changes introduced by the Coalition Government before summarising further changes to the system proposed by the current Government in its recent consultation, Strengthening Probation, Building Confidence, published in July 2018. The Government has stated it will announce fuller details of forthcoming changes in early 2019.
Probation Services: Reforms and Proposed Future Changes (199 KB , PDF)
The Bus Services (No. 2) Bill is a government bill scheduled to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 8 January 2025. It is intended to make it easier for local transport authorities to franchise bus services in their area. It also includes measures on bus data, enforcement powers, accessibility of bus stops, safeguarding checks and training for bus drivers and zero-emissions buses.
![Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 54 of 2024–25](https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Energy-568x426.png)
Imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences were indeterminate sentences given to serious offenders who posed a significant risk of serious harm to the public. Although it is over a decade since they were abolished, more than 2,000 people are still in prison serving an IPP sentence. The Labour government has said it would not conduct a resentencing exercise but has said it would continue its efforts in supporting those in custody to reduce their risk and move towards a safe and sustainable release.
An estimated 2.3 million people aged 16 years and over experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2024. Domestic Abuse Commissioner Nicole Jacobs has raised concerns about inconsistent support for victims and survivors and has called for urgent reform. The government has recently announced several policies aimed at enhancing this support, including a pilot of ‘domestic abuse protection notices’ and ‘domestic abuse protection orders’.
