Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 25
25
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, HMPPS expected demand for prison places to rise because of the...
Conclusion
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, HMPPS expected demand for prison places to rise because of the government’s August 2019 announcement to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers. The NAO reported that HMPPS could need new prisons to be ready from late 2022 to avoid demand outstripping supply.55 We asked whether the new prisons would be available soon enough to meet this demand. The Ministry told us that its aim was to bring the new prisons into use in time to avoid this situation. It explained the first two these prisons, at Glen Parva and Wellingborough, were already being built, and that it had contingency plans if demand for prisons places rose faster than expected.56 50 C&AG’s report, paras 6, 1.9, Figure 4 51 Q 42 52 Qq 38–39, C&AG’s report para 1.10 53 IPE0005 - Improving the prison estate, Dr Matthew Cracknell, Middlesex University, London, 1 July 202 54 Qq 38–39, 42 55 Q 74, C&AG’s report para 1.11, Figure 5 56 Qq 42, 74 Improving the prison estate 17 The impact of COVID-19
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
1.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Ta rget implementation date: January 2021 1.2 The department will write to the Committee in January 2021 to update them on the department’s plans for prison building and the broad scope of the strategy including how it intends to cover issues such as maintenance and overcrowding. It then proposes to consult with the Committee and others in early 2021 before publishing a comprehensive strategy in summer 2021.