Attacks against privatisation and plans to outsource services by trade union Napo have been criticised by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

Napo used the example of G4S’ failure to deliver on its security contract to the 2012 Olympics, with Harry Fletcher, the assistant general secretary of Napo, saying that at risk individuals "need to be supervised by experienced staff who can motivate them and properly assess risk."

MoJ minister, Jeremy Wright, said in defence of outsourced services: "Reoffending rates have barely changed in a decade, and almost half of all prisoners are reconvicted within a year of their release. We cannot go on just doing more of the same."