Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the HMPPS Annual Report 2025 to 2026, if he will provide a breakdown of the £1.3 million worth of fruitless payments for utility infrastructure works supporting prison expansion where recovery was not possible following contractor insolvency, including which contractors this relates to.

The £1.3 million write-off comprises £834,851.76 relating to HMP Huntercombe and £428,435.88 relating to HMP The Verne.

At both sites, the main contractor was ISG Construction Limited and the subcontractor for the electricity infrastructure works was Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks.