Question
The Sentencing Act 2026 had a very clear aim, which was to stabilise the prison capacity crisis and to prevent victims from having to go through the ordeal of finding out that their perpetrator was being released not because they had served their time, but because there was a capacity crisis. However, the Government’s own capacity projections depend on both building capacity and keeping current cells operational. In the Budget, the MOJ’s capital for maintenance was reduced from £2.3 billion to £1.9 billion for 2029-30, but the cost of the maintenance backlog sits at £2.8 billion and cells are regularly being taking out of use. Can the Lord Chancellor confidently and categorically rule out, at the Dispatch Box, any more early release schemes before the end of this Parliament?
Answer
I have been very clear that the point of the Sentencing Act was to move us on from having to have early release schemes, and I am more than confident that it will deliver that. The hon. Member makes a very important point about maintenance. She will know the success we collectively had with the Treasury over the summer in bringing forward investment to ensure that we can access places more quickly. However, she is right that, while we talk a lot about new places, we need to work really hard, through our investment programmes, to make sure that existing places stay online. As I say, I am confident in the work that we have done with the Treasury to ensure that.
Verdict: AMBER (55/100)
The question asked whether further early release schemes would be ruled out. The reply does not say so explicitly. It implies that no further schemes are needed, pointing to the Sentencing Act as having been intended to end the need for them, and this is the only part of the reply that bears on the question. The rest of the reply, about prison places and maintenance investment, does not address it. A member of the public would have a partial answer, but would probably need to ask again for a clear commitment.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Government rule out any further early release schemes for prisoners before the end of this Parliament? | Addressed | Direct | The reply does not use the words 'rule out', but it implicitly declines further early release schemes by stating that the Sentencing Act was meant to end the need for them, and it names that Act as the mechanism. Statements 3–6 concern prison places and maintenance investment and do not bear on this item. |