Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

Electronic Monitoring programme

Status: Closed Opened: 19 May 2022 Closed: 14 Dec 2022 9 recommendations 19 conclusions 1 report

Electronic monitoring (‘tagging”) allows the police, courts, probation, and immigration services to monitor the location and compliance with court orders an offender outside custody’s, and take action as necessary. HM Prison & Probation Service plans to expand the use of tagging but recently decided to suspend development of a new IT system that would provide …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Twenty-First Report: Transforming electronic monitoring ser… HC 34 21 Oct 2022 28 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

7 items
9 Recommendation Twenty-First Report: Transforming elect… Accepted

Both the Ministry and HMPPS told us that they had learnt lessons from weaknesses in...

Both the Ministry and HMPPS told us that they had learnt lessons from weaknesses in governance and scrutiny in the programme. The Ministry explained that a lack of scrutiny can be the nature of big departments with a small corporate centre and multiple agencies. Often project teams did not know …

Government response. The government states that the Investment Committee has delegated powers to make decisions on portfolio projects. It also states that an improved control framework was introduced in November 2021 and governance structures were strengthened during 2021-22.
HM Treasury
12 Conclusion Twenty-First Report: Transforming elect… Accepted

HMPPS’s failure to deliver Gemini also means that police forces and the Probation Service lack...

HMPPS’s failure to deliver Gemini also means that police forces and the Probation Service lack timely access to tagging data to investigate crime, supervise offenders and protect the public.20 HMPPS expected Gemini and the user portal to provide a range of benefits for stakeholders, including: a single version of case …

Government response. The government agrees to improve the timeliness of responses to requests from probation practitioners for GPS location monitoring data by March 2023, and to review the process by which police officers make requests for information from the EM supplier by …
HM Treasury
14 Recommendation Twenty-First Report: Transforming elect… Accepted

In 2006, our Committee found that there was insufficient evidence available to determine whether tagging...

In 2006, our Committee found that there was insufficient evidence available to determine whether tagging helped to reduce re-offending or promote rehabilitation. We recommended that the Home Office—which previously managed tagging services— should carry out research to establish the role that electronic monitoring could play in minimising reoffending and make …

Government response. The government agrees with the committee’s recommendation and will use EM data to inform reporting. They will also implement a benefits management strategy and realisation plan by April 2023 and develop a formal evaluation strategy for EM.
HM Treasury
15 Conclusion Twenty-First Report: Transforming elect… Accepted

The Ministry admitted that its evaluation in the transformation programme was not as strong as...

The Ministry admitted that its evaluation in the transformation programme was not as strong as it should have been and recognised that it needed to put more effort into evaluation going forward. It told us that it was extending its team of analysts in its expansion programme, from three to …

Government response. The government agrees to improve its evaluation of electronic monitoring programs, including rigorous evaluation of long-term impacts on reoffending, and outlines specific actions like improved data collection, a benefits management strategy, and a formal evaluation strategy.
HM Treasury
23 Conclusion Twenty-First Report: Transforming elect… Accepted

In parallel with managing its expansion projects, HMPPS is undertaking a re- procurement for its...

In parallel with managing its expansion projects, HMPPS is undertaking a re- procurement for its contracts with companies to run the tagging services. HMPPS has relied on Capita’s ‘bridge’ contract throughout its transformation programme. This was only intended to be a temporary arrangement until HMPPS launched its new service through …

Government response. The government agrees with the recommendation and states that the procurement of new contracts is being run in compliance with The Sourcing Playbook, and risks are managed in accordance with the EM Portfolio Risk Management Strategy. They will update the …
HM Treasury
25 Conclusion Twenty-First Report: Transforming elect… Accepted

We questioned HMPPS on what it saw as the biggest risks in the expansion programme.

We questioned HMPPS on what it saw as the biggest risks in the expansion programme. HMPPS told us that it is challenging reprocuring the service as it is changing and as the number of tagged people is increasing. It explained that it has been managing this in different ways, such …

Government response. The government states that project risks are managed according to the EM Portfolio Risk Management Strategy and that the procurement of new contracts is being run in compliance with the government standard, The Sourcing Playbook.
HM Treasury
26 Recommendation Twenty-First Report: Transforming elect… Accepted

Earlier in its transformation programme, HMPPS outsourced the role of systems and services integrator to...

Earlier in its transformation programme, HMPPS outsourced the role of systems and services integrator to Capita, which involved pulling together suppliers’ work to deliver an end-to-end tagging service.48 In 2017, we examined earlier progress in the programme. We found that this arrangement failed as, in part, the Ministry did not …

Government response. The government states that project risks are managed according to the EM Portfolio Risk Management Strategy and that the procurement of new contracts is being run in compliance with the government standard, The Sourcing Playbook.
HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
20 Jun 2022 Antonia Romeo · Ministry of Justice, Dr Jo Farrar · Ministry of Justice, James McEwen · Ministry of Justice, Jim Barton · HM Prisons and Probation Service View ↗