Select committee: Justice Committee

HM Inspectorate of Prisons' relationship with the Ministry of Justice

Closed Opened 5 Jan 2016 Closed 10 May 2016

Justice Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

Inquiry scope (the committee's words)

The session looks at HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ relationship with the Ministry of Justice, as Nick Hardwick hands over to Peter Clarke as HM Chief Inspector of Prisons.

Where it stands

The inquiry is closed, opened 5 January 2016.

The committee has published 1 report, most recently 4th Report - Criminal justice inspectorates on 1 March 2016.

The government's response

Published 10 May 2016.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The Lord Chancellor and the Attorney General support protocols setting out terms of engagement with the inspectorates, but propose using the HM Inspectorate of Prisons protocol only as a guide and not as a blueprint.

The Lord Chancellor says the inspectorates and the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman have been granted "enhanced authority to recruit staff without the need to seek approval from the Ministry of Justice".
A protocol with HM Chief Inspector of Prisons is planned. The Lord Chancellor says he is "planning to consult the Committee in the summer and publish a draft protocol this autumn", and agrees with the recommendation for wider consultation.
On using the prisons protocol as a blueprint, both letters propose it as a guide and check point only, because the bodies differ in form, function and statutory basis.
The Attorney General says officials are working with HMCPSI on a protocol that "will be concluded shortly and will then be published", and that he will ensure the Committee is provided with it.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

Reports

4th Report - Criminal justice inspectorates1 March 2016

All reports

Evidence

1 oral evidence sessionLatest 20 January 2016

All evidence

Recent activity

3rd Special Report - Criminal justice inspectorates: Government Response to the Committee's Fourth Report of Session 2015-1610 May 2016, Report published
4th Report - Criminal justice inspectorates1 March 2016, Report published
Letter dated 8 February 2016 from Richard Heaton, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, to Robert Neill MP, Chair, Justice Committee on HM Inspectorate of Prisons.23 February 2016, Correspondence

Reports

1 report

4th Report - Criminal justice inspectorates

HC No.: HC 724
Published: 1 Mar 2016
Items: 0
Government response: Government response published 10 May 2016. Read the government's response ↗

Oral evidence sessions

1 session

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Date	Session and witnesses	Source
20 Jan 2016	Oral evidence session No witnesses recorded	View ↗

Correspondence

4 letters

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Published	Direction	Letter
23 Feb 2016	Not recorded	Letter dated 8 February 2016 from Richard Heaton, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, to Robert Neill MP, Chair, Justice Committee on HM Inspectorate of Prisons.
9 Feb 2016	Not recorded	Letter dated 1 February 2016 from Nick Hardwick, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, to Robert Neill MP, Chair, Justice Committee on the Ministry of Justice budget (114 KB)
20 Jan 2016	Not recorded	Letter dated 8 December 2015 from Richard Heaton, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice to Nick Hardwick, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (62.6 KB)
20 Jan 2016	Not recorded	Letter dated 1 December 2015 from Nick Hardwick, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons to Richard Heaton, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice (6.25 MB)