The House of Lords Justice and Home
Affairs Committee has said the Government's response to it's
report on improving prisons to reduce crime does not reassure
that the MoJ and HMPPS have the dynamic energy needed to drive
forward reforms.
Whilst the committee welcomes the
acceptance or partial acceptance of the vast majority of its
recommendations, it is concerned that the response falls short in
respect of some of the issues raised. Some responses focus too
much on what has already been done and the committee remains
concerned about whether HMPPS is fit for
purpose.
For instance, the response accepts the
committee's recommendation for implementing women's leadership
groups and support for female staff while simultaneously claiming
“HMPPS have reviewed our
policies and are content that they are sufficient to address the
needs of women”.
The response also accepts the
committee's recommendation to improve access to education in
prisons. It lists the work done with the Prison Education Trust
(PET) and “increased investment
in libraries over the last few
years” at the very same
time that newspapers are reporting cuts of up to 45% in the
education budgets of some prisons.[1]
While the committee's recommendations
to improve prison staff recruitment and retention are broadly
accepted, the response fails to point to the potentially
significant impact on recruitment by proposed changes to the
Skilled Worker visa arrangements.
, Chair of the House of
Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee
said:
“The evidence we received points to a
system that is beset with pressures from all sides, and piecemeal
and gradual change will not suffice to fix the problems faced by
HMPPS. We urge the Government to go further and faster with
reforms to ensure that we truly have better prisons and less
crime.
“I hope that when the House debates
the report, the Minister will be able to explore with us in more
depth what can and will be implemented in the future, both
immediately and longer-term, to provide prisons that benefit and
protect victims, prisoners, staff, and wider
society.
“We look forward to holding the debate
on the Report in the House of Lords
soon."
The full Government response, dated 12
September 2025, is available to read on the
committee's website.
The committee's response to the
Minister, published today, is available to
read here.
The committee's
report ‘Better prisons:
less crime', is available to
read here
Note to
editors
More information about the committee
and its membership is available on its website.
[1] [1] Prisons in England and Wales to cut spending on education
courses by up to 50% | Prisons and probation | The
Guardian
