Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56226 on Serco: Standards, what assessment she has made of whether the commercial-interests exemption applied in that Answer continues to justify withholding the total financial penalties applied to Serco, in the light of the National Audit Office’s July 2026 report on electronic monitoring.

The detailed financial information requested remains commercially sensitive. Disclosure would prejudice, or would be likely to prejudice, the commercial interests of either supplier and the Ministry of Justice, including in the context of ongoing contractual and commercial arrangements. The public interest in disclosure has been considered against the need to protect the Department's ability to manage those arrangements effectively and secure value for money for the taxpayer. On balance, the Department considers that the information should continue to be withheld.

The Ministry of Justice continues to hold both suppliers to account for delivery of the contracts and applies the contractual performance and financial mechanisms available to it where appropriate.