Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his speech of 10 July 2018 to the Centre for Social Justice, what steps his Department is taken to ascertain whether the £16,000,000 investment in 11 prisons represents value for money to the public purse; and what steps are being taken to make contracts transparent on the work undertaken.

While details are still being finalised, we are focusing on the prisons with the most pressing needs. The works under consideration include refurbishment of poor-quality cellular accommodation, life-expired shower facilities and life-expired food service areas to meet expected standards of decency and hygiene, as well as up-grades to fire safety systems. In procuring these works our aim will be to achieve a good standard of delivery at a fair price for the taxpayer. Contract details will be made publicly available via the Ministry’s transparency returns in the usual way.