To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to the public purse will be of the delays in splitting the Probation Service into the National Probation Service and community rehabilitation companies until 1 June 2014.

We remain on track to deliver much needed reforms which address the glaring gap in our system that currently sees around 50,000 short-term prisoners released on to the streets each year with no support. Our proposals remain affordable within the context of the MOJ commitment to deliver annual savings of over £2 billion by 2014-15.