Holme House

Response
As the Board may be aware maintenance budgets are provided each year to undertake general maintenance requirements. The Board will be pleased to note that a commitment has been made to make funding available for the refurbishment of residential shower recesses. An ongoing programme of refurbishments will also continue through the current financial year 2023-24. These projects are to the value of approximately £3 million and includes the replacement of the electrical switchgear and upgrading the perimeter lighting. A further agreement has been reached to upgrade the internal lighting across house blocks one to four when the wings are made available for the works. Aside from funding for maintenance, since 2020, approximately £1.6 million has been invested in HMP Holme House in replacing boilers, heating systems, CCTV and refurbishing showers. Any further requests from the establishment will be considered, however, it should be noted that demands for maintenance are much greater than the available funding. Therefore, once a bid for a project is received, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has to prioritise works very carefully to make best use of that funding, focusing on risk to life and risk to capacity and decency.

Response
I appreciate the Board’s concerns about prisoners that are subject to Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences. The Government is, as a matter of priority, reviewing the Department’s work to date to help more IPP prisoners progress towards release and will be considering thoroughly if there are further steps we need to take. The Secretary of State for Justice does not want to prejudge his conclusions, but please be assured that he will be giving the matter his close personal attention. The Justice Select Committee (JSC) published their report into the IPP sentence on 28 September 2022 following a year-long inquiry. The inquiry conducted by the Committee constituted a thorough assessment of the issues surrounding the IPP sentence and the published report contains considered recommendations for change. The Government has now issued a formal response to the Committee’s report, which can be accessed via https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1509/imprisonment-for-public-protection-ipp-sentences/publications. The Government accepted the Committee’s recommendation to review the Action Plan and shared the outcome of the review with the JSC on 26 April 2023. HMPPS specifically focused on improved, clear work streams, with deadlines and a robust overarching governance structure. The refreshed Action Plan will be a strong driver to build on past achievements and continue to provide the best possible opportunities for those serving an IPP sentence to progress towards a safe and sustainable release.

Response
A Key Performance Indicator review meeting is held every month at HMP Holme House with appropriate representatives from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Property Directorate, the establishment and the service provider. The review meeting is open for attendance by members of the Board when available and for appropriate invite. The Area Property Operations Manager who represents the MoJ Property Directorate, is available to meet with the Board and provide an overview of the KPI process. HMPPS will continue to work with MoJ Property to identify and address any areas falling short of the required compliance and maintenance standards. To reflect this, the MoJ Property Compliance team has prioritised HMP Holme House in this year’s audit and assurance programme. The audit was completed in July 2023 and the Governor is working proactively to commence work on the action plan to improve performance.

Response
MoJ Property Directorate acknowledges that the timely resolution of remedial works has proved problematic over the reporting period. This was largely due to significant trade vacancies within the contractor’s on-site service workforce. As the Board will be aware, there is a general shortage of suitable tradespersons in the external labour market and this has created difficulties in recruitment and retention of staff. Additionally, pay rates in the facilities management market is generally below those of the construction industry and this has a further effect on recruitment. To reduce the backlog of repairs and maintenance, the contractor has deployed third party external labour to address the issues and there has been improvements in recent months.

Response
The bakery is operational once again. Most of the bakery equipment is now fully functional with final servicing on the equipment to take place shortly. A large proportion of the bakery menu is available and a return to full capacity is expected in due course.

Response
MoJ Property Directorate acknowledges that the timely resolution of remedial works has proved problematic over the reporting period. This was largely due to significant trade vacancies within the contractor’s on-site service workforce. As the Board will be aware, there is a general shortage of suitable tradespersons in the external labour market and this has created difficulties in recruitment and retention of staff. Additionally, pay rates in the facilities management market is generally below those of the construction industry and this has a further effect on recruitment. To reduce the backlog of repairs and maintenance, the contractor has deployed third party external labour to address the issues and there has been improvements in recent months.

Response
Prison food budgets are determined locally by the Governor in public sector prisons (or the Director in privately managed prisons) and kept under review as part of normal budget allocation planning. Prison Rules also require that prisoners are provided with three meals a day that are varied, nutritious and meet the religious, cultural and medical needs of all. The HMPPS Catering Team has been providing support to all establishments to help address the rising cost of food. They are working closely with local catering managers to understand issues and share good practice ideas with food suppliers to look at supply and sourcing options. They are also working closely with the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities, following government guidelines, to provide enhanced advice to prisoners and staff across the estate on eating healthy meals. MoJ Property Directorate acknowledges that the timely resolution of remedial works has proved problematic over the reporting period. This was largely due to significant trade vacancies within the contractor’s on-site service workforce. As the Board will be aware, there is a general shortage of suitable tradespersons in the external labour market and this has created difficulties in recruitment and retention of staff. Additionally, pay rates in the facilities management market is generally below those of the construction industry and this has a further effect on recruitment. To reduce the backlog of repairs and maintenance, the contractor has deployed third party external labour to address the issues and there has been improvements in recent months.