Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 89778 on Prisons: Construction, on what date did ISG Construction Limited cease on-site work at HMP Kirklevington Grange.

ISG Construction Limited ceased work on all Ministry of Justice sites on the date of their administration, 20 September 2024. This included the expansions at HMP The Verne and HMP Guys Marsh.Although the sites at HMP Kirklevington Grange, HMP Warren Hill, and the new prison in Buckinghamshire were due to be completed by ISG, the projects were still in their design stage at this time and on-site works had not yet started before the company went into administration.

How many offenders released on licence since 5 July 2024 and recalled to custody had not been returned to custody by the end of December 2025.

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.Once an offender’s licence has been revoked, it falls to the Police to apprehend the offender and return them to prison custody.

Pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2025 to question 89778 on Prisons: Construction, on what date did ISG Construction Limited cease on-site work at HMP Birmingham.

ISG Construction Limited ceased work on all Ministry of Justice sites on the date of their administration, 20 September 2024. This included HMP Birmingham, HMP Liverpool and HMP Prescoed.

Pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2025 to question 89778 on Prisons: Construction, on what date did ISG Construction Limited cease on-site work at HMP Liverpool.

ISG Construction Limited ceased work on all Ministry of Justice sites on the date of their administration, 20 September 2024. This included HMP Birmingham, HMP Liverpool and HMP Prescoed.

Pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2025 to question 89778 on Prisons: Construction, on what date did ISG Construction Limited cease on-site work at HMP Prescoed.

ISG Construction Limited ceased work on all Ministry of Justice sites on the date of their administration, 20 September 2024. This included HMP Birmingham, HMP Liverpool and HMP Prescoed.

How many prisoners serving a life sentence have been released on licence since 5 July 2024.

The number of prisoners serving a life sentence who were released for the first time (i.e. excluding recall re-releases) from 5 July 2024 to 30 Sep 2024 was 68. The number of prisoners serving a life sentence prisoners re-released in the same period, having previously been recalled, was 73.In total, 141 prisoners serving a life sentence were released during this period.Data for periods after 30 September are routinely published in the Department’s Offender Management Statistics. First releases data is included in the ‘Prison releases’ tables and recall re-release data is included in the ‘Prison Recall’ tables. The latest quarterly publication is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2025.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2026 to Question 117955 on Prisons: Unmanned Air Systems, when will selected industry partners have developed proof-of-concept systems.

Industry partners are expected to complete their proof-of-concept systems by mid-summer 2026.

Pursuant to the correction of 10 March 2026 to Question 115634 on Ministry of Justice: ICT, for what reason here was a discrepancy of 510 laptops, mobile phones and electronic devices recorded as lost or stolen between the original answer of 3 March 2026 and the correction of 10 March 2026.

When the previous (incorrect) answer was provided, it was the result of a simple search being run against criteria in the service management system and the result published.When the corrected response was provided, it was a result of a manual search through records ensuring that duplicates were removed, and then checked against the ID numbers of assets known to be present.

By what date will the formal investigation into the abscondment of Daniel Boakye be completed.

The formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape from custody is due to be completed by 20 March.Reports of internal investigations of this nature are not normally published.

Pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2026 to question 115637 on Daniel Boakye, what additional management checks are being undertaken in relation to operational staff who may be called upon to undertake escort duty.

We have introduced a period of enhanced management assurance for all external escorts. Under these strengthened measures, a manager of the same grade or a more senior grade is required to check the application of restraints prior to an escort and ensure additional restraint arrangements are utilised where necessary. In addition, all operational staff who may be involved in an escort have been required to complete refreshed competency activity.

If he will publish the outcome of the formal investigation into the abscondment of Daniel Boakye.

The formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape from custody is due to be completed by 20 March.Reports of internal investigations of this nature are not normally published.

Pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2026, to question 115638 on Prisons: Unmanned Air Vehicles, who are the selected industry partners will receive up to £60,000 of funding to develop proof-of-concept systems.

For national security reasons, we are unable to share the names of the industry partners.

Pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 115634 on Ministry of Justice: ICT, for what reason the number of laptops, mobile phones and other electrical devices stolen or lost by the Department fell from 665 between 5 July 2024 to 29 April 2025 to 324 between 5 July 2024 and 5 December 2025.

A difference in figures reported by the Department for periods 5 July 2024 to 29 April 2025 and 5 July 2024 to 5 December 2025 is due to a difference in how incident records were queried and displayed, resulting in an inflated figure of 665 where some devices had been double counted.The correct figure for the period of 5 July 2024 to 5 December 2025 is 324.The Department is currently undertaking work to improve asset data quality, during which some devices previously been reported lost or stolen have been since recovered or identified as having been reported in error.

What progress has he made with the Secretary of State for the Home Department in apprehending Daniel Boakye following his abscondment.

A formal investigation has been commissioned into the circumstances surrounding the escape from custody. Additional management checks are also being undertaken in relation to all operational staff who may be called upon to undertake escort duty.Public safety is the Government’s priority. Following a joint operation by the Metropolitan Police, the National Crime Agency and the French authorities, we have received confirmation that Daniel Boakye has now been detained in France. Arrangements are being made to secure his return to the UK.

What information his Department holds on the factors that led to the abscondment of Daniel Boakye.

A formal investigation has been commissioned into the circumstances surrounding the escape from custody. Additional management checks are also being undertaken in relation to all operational staff who may be called upon to undertake escort duty.Public safety is the Government’s priority. Following a joint operation by the Metropolitan Police, the National Crime Agency and the French authorities, we have received confirmation that Daniel Boakye has now been detained in France. Arrangements are being made to secure his return to the UK.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Tech challenge launched to counter drone threats in prisons, published on 4 November 2025, on what date is the 12-week Counter-Drone Challenge due to end.

We have recently launched a new innovation challenge with His Majesty’s Government Communications Centre (HMGCC) Co-Creation aimed at combatting the growing threat of drones around prisons.The Counter-Drone Challenge competition closed on 4 December 2025. Selected industry partners will receive up to £60,000 funding to develop proof-of-concept systems over a 12-week period.

How many (a) phones, (b) laptops and (c) other electronic devices have been lost by his Department between 5 July 2024 and 29 April 2025.

Between 5 July 2024 and 29 April 2025, the Ministry of Justice recorded lost or stolen:59 laptops91 mobile phones5 other devicesAll Ministry of Justice laptops and mobile phones are encrypted and protected to National Cyber Security Centre standards. The Department has mandatory reporting procedures for lost or stolen items, and incidents are investigated in line with security policy.

With reference to the comments by the Minister for Youth Justice in the Sunday Times on 15 February 2026, how will individual’s personal data be used in preventative analytics “to identify children who need targeted interventions to stop them falling into a life of crime”.

The Government is in the process of establishing a Preventative Analytics for Youth Justice Advisory Panel. As the Panel has not yet been established, no recommendations have been made on specific data sources or the sharing of data with youth justice partners for the purposes of support and safeguarding. At this early stage, we are not able to state the specific datasets which will be accessed. Exploratory work is required to identify what data would be useful for the purposes of prevention, where it is held, and how to use it responsibly, ethically, and legally. However, it is anticipated that the programme will draw on data already held by government departments, local youth justice services, and local authorities. This may include information about a child’s contact with the youth justice system, education, health services, social care, or other relevant services. Where data is shared between public authorities, we expect this will take place under established legal gateways for example the Digital Economy Act or the UK General Data Protection Regulation. Where additional permissions are required (e.g. due to the terms of a privacy notice), then such permissions will be sought. The Department will ensure appropriate governance arrangements are made and documented (e.g. through Data Protection Impact Assessments and Data Sharing Agreements). At this stage, we are not able to describe how the data will be used in the sense of defining specific processing techniques. The purpose of the advisory panel is to guide the development of these techniques in an effective, ethical, and legal manner. That said, the programme will not make automated decisions about individual children or replace professional judgement; rather it will provide evidence-based insights to help practitioners identify where interventions may be most effective. Strong safeguards will be sought to ensure fairness, transparency and protection against bias. The Government intends to establish the Advisory Panel on preventative analytics for youth justice by spring. Work is already underway and further details will be set out in due course.

With reference to the comments by the Minister for Youth Justice in the Sunday Times on 15 February 2026, by what date he plans to establish the advisory panel on preventative analytics for youth justice.

The Government is in the process of establishing a Preventative Analytics for Youth Justice Advisory Panel. As the Panel has not yet been established, no recommendations have been made on specific data sources or the sharing of data with youth justice partners for the purposes of support and safeguarding. At this early stage, we are not able to state the specific datasets which will be accessed. Exploratory work is required to identify what data would be useful for the purposes of prevention, where it is held, and how to use it responsibly, ethically, and legally. However, it is anticipated that the programme will draw on data already held by government departments, local youth justice services, and local authorities. This may include information about a child’s contact with the youth justice system, education, health services, social care, or other relevant services. Where data is shared between public authorities, we expect this will take place under established legal gateways for example the Digital Economy Act or the UK General Data Protection Regulation. Where additional permissions are required (e.g. due to the terms of a privacy notice), then such permissions will be sought. The Department will ensure appropriate governance arrangements are made and documented (e.g. through Data Protection Impact Assessments and Data Sharing Agreements). At this stage, we are not able to describe how the data will be used in the sense of defining specific processing techniques. The purpose of the advisory panel is to guide the development of these techniques in an effective, ethical, and legal manner. That said, the programme will not make automated decisions about individual children or replace professional judgement; rather it will provide evidence-based insights to help practitioners identify where interventions may be most effective. Strong safeguards will be sought to ensure fairness, transparency and protection against bias. The Government intends to establish the Advisory Panel on preventative analytics for youth justice by spring. Work is already underway and further details will be set out in due course.

With reference to the comments by the Minister for Youth Justice in the Sunday Times on 15 February 2026, what permissions do the Government require in order to access personal data for use in preventative analytics “to identify children who need targeted interventions to stop them falling into a life of crime”.

The Government is in the process of establishing a Preventative Analytics for Youth Justice Advisory Panel. As the Panel has not yet been established, no recommendations have been made on specific data sources or the sharing of data with youth justice partners for the purposes of support and safeguarding. At this early stage, we are not able to state the specific datasets which will be accessed. Exploratory work is required to identify what data would be useful for the purposes of prevention, where it is held, and how to use it responsibly, ethically, and legally. However, it is anticipated that the programme will draw on data already held by government departments, local youth justice services, and local authorities. This may include information about a child’s contact with the youth justice system, education, health services, social care, or other relevant services. Where data is shared between public authorities, we expect this will take place under established legal gateways for example the Digital Economy Act or the UK General Data Protection Regulation. Where additional permissions are required (e.g. due to the terms of a privacy notice), then such permissions will be sought. The Department will ensure appropriate governance arrangements are made and documented (e.g. through Data Protection Impact Assessments and Data Sharing Agreements). At this stage, we are not able to describe how the data will be used in the sense of defining specific processing techniques. The purpose of the advisory panel is to guide the development of these techniques in an effective, ethical, and legal manner. That said, the programme will not make automated decisions about individual children or replace professional judgement; rather it will provide evidence-based insights to help practitioners identify where interventions may be most effective. Strong safeguards will be sought to ensure fairness, transparency and protection against bias. The Government intends to establish the Advisory Panel on preventative analytics for youth justice by spring. Work is already underway and further details will be set out in due course.