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Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

Prison estate capacity

Status: Closed Opened: 31 Oct 2024 Closed: 16 May 2025 9 recommendations 19 conclusions 1 report

The prison population was 87,538 people at the end of January 2024, with many adult male prisoners being held in cells designed for fewer occupants. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) committed to providing 20,000 additional prison places by the mid-2020s, deriving from a combination of six new prisons, …

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Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
15th Report - Prison estate capacity HC 366 14 Mar 2025 28 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 items
15 Conclusion 15th Report - Prison estate capacity Rejected

HMPPS unable to meet 2027 fire-safety compliance deadline for 23,000 prison places

The NAO report highlighted several risks to existing prison capacity. This included that around a quarter (23,000) of occupied prison places are at risk of enforcement by the Crown Premises Fire Safety Inspectorate 38 Q 43 39 Qq 43,46 40 Ministry of Justice, Annual Statement on Prison Capacity: 2024, December …

Government response. The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation and acknowledges the importance of addressing the prison estate maintenance backlog and remains committed to undertaking the necessary work to ensure compliance with fire safety standards.
HM Treasury
16 Conclusion 15th Report - Prison estate capacity Rejected

HMPPS faces £1.8 billion maintenance backlog with insufficient funding to address it

The condition of the estate also poses a risk to future capacity. Since the government’s 2010 prisons strategy, HMPPS has indefinitely closed 4,151 cells due to dilapidation.54 Furthermore, HMPPS’s maintenance backlog has doubled from £0.9 billion to £1.8 billion between 2020 and September 2024.55 MoJ estimates it needs £2.8 billion …

Government response. The government disagrees with the committee's conclusion and states that while HMPPS acknowledges the importance of addressing the prison estate maintenance backlog, future investment decisions will depend on the outcome of the ongoing Spending Review.
HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
27 Jan 2025 Amy Rees · HMPPS, Dame Antonia Romeo DCB · Ministry of Justice, Jim Barton · HM Prisons and Probation Service, Ross Gribbin · Ministry of Justice View ↗

Correspondence

3 letters
DateDirectionTitle
4 Sep 2025 To cttee Letter from the Chief Executive of HM Prison and Probation Service relating to …
7 Jul 2025 From cttee Letter to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice relating to the fo…
31 Mar 2025 From cttee Letter to the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice relating to HMP Da…