The Ministry’s strategy included specific actions to tackle the overrepresentation of, and unique challenges facing, black and other ethnic minority women in the justice system. But progress has been slow.39 The Ministry told us that after the publication of the strategy it recognised that this is an area where it needs to do more and go further than the strategy. It has set up a minority ethnic female offenders group and worked with the group to understand where things are going wrong.40 Many providers of specialist services for ethnic minority women are small and Women in Prison highlighted the difficulties that small organisations face when bidding for grants in competition with larger organisations with well-resourced bid teams.41 The Ministry told us it had that it had provided £1.5 million in 2020–21 to groups supporting black and minority ethnic 31 Q 21 32 Qq 23, 24 33 Q 15 34 Q 9 35 Qq 11 36 Qq 10, 18 37 Qq 52, 80 38 Qq 68, 69 39 C&AG’s Report, para 3.10 40 Q 54 41 Q 13 Improving outcomes for women in the criminal justice system 13 offenders (both men and women) generally through the system and funding to Clinks to help smaller organisations bid for money.42 It has also worked to design a specification for improving translation services.43