Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Deferred
Set out clear plan to address £1.8bn prison maintenance backlog with detailed funding breakdown.
Recommendation
The Government must clearly set out how it intends to address the £1.8bn maintenance backlog using the funding set out by its Prison Capacity Strategy and Infrastructure Strategy. In response to this report, we expect the Government to update the Committee on the work completed to date and provide a clear breakdown of how future funding will be used. This should include how much of the allocated funding through the Infrastructure Strategy is ring-fenced for prisons maintenance, what it plans to use this funding for, and how the Government intends to address the remaining shortfall in the maintenance backlog. (Recommendation, Paragraph 49)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government's response focuses on HMPPS's contract management practices, the new Procurement Act 2023, and initiatives to simplify procurement and engage SMEs and VCSEs, thus deflecting from the recommendation to detail how it will address the £1.8bn prison maintenance backlog.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
24. Historic underinvestment and paused projects driven by a rising prison population has worsened the maintenance backlog and left the estate vulnerable to sudden capacity losses. A stable prison estate is essential to wider system ambitions, including reducing reoffending and improving safety and decency. For this reason, we are investing c. £300m for maintenance in 2025/26, up from £225m in 2024/25. 25. The department has secured an overall Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (CDEL) settlement of £2.3 billion per annum for 2026/27 to 2028/29, and £2.0bn in 2029/30. Of this, £1.2bn each year from 2026/27 to 2028/29 and £1.140bn in 2029/30 is ring-fenced for prison expansion. 26. Specific allocations for prison maintenance will be confirmed through the forthcoming internal allocations process. Spending will be split between Fire Safety Improvement (FSI) programme and general capital maintenance and asset replacement across the estate. 27. Funding allocations are determined through a yearly process, so future capital maintenance spend will be determined year by year. Prison maintenance is not ring-fenced, and the department must balance this with other priorities, including digital infrastructure. 28. Maintenance priorities will always focus first on safety and compliance issues (such as those addressed by the FSI investments). Beyond that, the focus is on maintenance most likely to prevent loss of prison capacity. These priorities are not mutually exclusive maintenance projects can support both simultaneously.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗