This briefing has been prepared for the Justice Committee as an overview of the performance of the Ministry of Justice (the Ministry) in 2008-09 and subsequent months. The briefing is based on the Ministry’s Departmental Annual Report 2009, together with work by the National Audit Office (NAO) and material from external and internal reviews of the Ministry’s performance. The briefing has been shared with the Ministry to ensure factual accuracy, but the commentary and any views expressed are the NAO’s.