Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Ministry of Justice projects in the Government Major Projects Portfolio have been delayed due to planning permission in each of the past five years, broken down by (1) project, (2) length of delay, and (3) additional costs incurred.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice’s Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) includes 21 projects. 7 of these make up the 20k Prison Place Programmes, which developed from the original 10,000 places commitment announced in 2019 under the previous Government.
These projects are:
10k Additional Prison Places – New Build
10k Additional Prison Places Estate Expansion Category D
10k Additional Prison Places Estate Expansion Houseblocks and Refurbishments
Accelerated Houseblocks Delivery Programme
PFI Expiry and Transfer Tranche 2
Rapid Deployment Cell Project
Small Secure Houseblocks
Several of the 20k programmes experienced a range of delays due to planning determination outside of the statutory timeframe. It means that despite promising to deliver 20,000 prison places by the mid 2020s, the previous Government only delivered approximately 6,000 as set out in the 10-year Capacity Strategy.
Within the New Prisons Programme, known as the 10k Additional Prison Places – New Build within the GMPP, delays to planning determinations have been documented in the recently published 10-Year Prison Capacity Strategy. The strategy outlines challenges in securing planning permission at the new prisons in Lancashire, Buckinghamshire and Leicestershire, which were in the planning system for 40 months, 30 months and 29 months respectively. The strategy notes that each three-month delay to a new prison adds around £8 million in construction cost inflation.
We are unable to draw out the specific, quantifiable time and cost impact of individual planning delays alone on the overall delivery of the majority of the 20k programmes, as the delays were cumulative with planning being one of several factors, including site-specific requirements and administration of key contractors.
No other Ministry of Justice GMPP projects on the list published in January 2025 have been delayed due to planning permission.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many legal aid providers held contracts but did not take on any cases in the most recent year for which figures are available.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In the financial year 2023/24, of the 1320 legal aid providers holding a contract to deliver civil legal aid services, 81 (6%) did not take on any cases within that period. Of those 81 providers, only 18 have a current contract to deliver civil legal aid services.
Of the 1066 legal aid providers holding a contract to deliver criminal legal aid services, 22 (2%) did not take on any cases in that period. Of those 22 providers, only 6 have a current contract to deliver criminal legal aid services.