Justice & Home Affairs

Ahead of the State Opening of Parliament, think tank says slim Commons majority and tough Spending Review settlements mean government would be wise to focus on key priorities 

Report by MPs on the justice committee warns that prison safety "has deteriorated further and continues to do so"

Justice secretary Michael Gove says improvement board report highlights “broader problems” with the youth justice system

Interim chief Martin Jones has position made permanent

Ministry of Justice says it will announce "next steps in due course" amid reports Medway Secure Training Centre to be brought into public control

Home Office chief points out that enforcement rate for confiscation orders is increasing, even as overall debt pile grows, while Derbyshire police chief Mick Creedon points the finger at legacy of “inflated” targets

Experienced rehabilitation charities say they have been left disadvantaged by the bidding process for the Ministry of Justice's probation overhaul

National Audit Office says probation services "have been sustained throughout a period of major changes" – but warns of "unsurprising frictions" between private and public sector staff

The government's vision of autonomous prisons held to account for delivering against defined outcomes is welcome – but it will require a step change in the way performance is measured

Microsoft reviews the technology that can help police officers perform their jobs more effectively

Unions welcomed Court of Appeal decision backing 2015 ruling that amendments to DfT's staff handbook were unlawful

Border Force resource budget will be £558.1m for 2016/17 – a cut of 0.4% on last year – but the agency gets a capital spending boost