To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what criteria will be used to award Transforming Rehabilitation contracts in respect of women's services.

The Offender Rehabilitation Bill, currently before Parliament, proposes that current supervision and activity requirements are both replaced with a single rehabilitation activity requirement to allow probation providers to determine which appointments or activities offender should take part in.

A specific amendment has been made to the Bill in relation to female offenders, requiring the Secretary of State to ensure that, in making arrangements for the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders, he has complied with the public sector duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as it relates to female offenders. Arrangements for the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders must also identify provision required to meet the particular needs of female offenders. The amendment applies both to contracts with Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and services provided by the National Probation Service.

Bidders for the CRC contracts will be expected to demonstrate an effective approach to the identification and recognition of women's needs (as well as protected characteristics), to ensure that individual needs are properly addressed.