UK Taxpayers Face £100M+ Bill for Prison Lease Despite Dangerous Gas Levels
A parliamentary report has revealed a “catastrophic” decision by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to sign a 10-year lease on HMP Dartmoor, a prison plagued by high levels of the radioactive gas radon, is expected to cost UK taxpayers over £100 million. The deal, struck in 2022, has been widely condemned as reckless and a waste of public funds.
Ill-Advised Deal Signed “In a Blind Panic”
The Public Accounts Committee concluded that the 2022 agreement to rent HMP Dartmoor from the Duchy of Cornwall was signed “in a blind panic” by senior civil servants desperate to secure sufficient prison capacity. The committee’s report details a failure to adequately assess the risks associated with the property, despite known issues with radon gas levels.
The category C prison, which previously housed many sex offenders, was ultimately closed in 2024 after radon levels were recorded at up to 10 times the recommended limit in certain areas. The government acknowledged awareness of “elevated readings” of the gas as early as 2020, raising questions about the rationale behind proceeding with the lease.
Health Risks and Financial Burden
Radon, a colorless and odorless radioactive gas, poses a significant health risk. According to the Health Security Agency, it causes approximately 1,100 lung cancer deaths annually in the UK. The decision to lease HMP Dartmoor, therefore, exposed inmates, staff, and potentially visitors to a known carcinogen.
The financial implications are substantial. Under the terms of the lease, which extends until at least December 2033, the HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) is currently paying around £4 million per year for a prison deemed unusable. This figure includes rent, business rates, and security costs. Furthermore, the government is projected to spend an additional £68 million on “fabric improvements” to the Dartmoor site throughout the lease period.
“An Absolute Disgrace”
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the Conservative chair of the all-party committee, minced no words in his assessment of the MoJ’s handling of the situation. He described the department’s actions as “an absolute disgrace, from top to bottom.”
“We heard claims that the leasing of this unusable building, known for years by HMPPS to be choked with radon gas with all the health risks that entailed, was sensible, driven by the need for prison places,” Clifton-Brown stated. “Our committee rejects this excuse outright. Dartmoor appears to the committee to be a perfect example of a department reaching for a solution, any solution, in a blind panic and under pressure.”
Delayed Action and Legal Challenges
The decision to close HMP Dartmoor necessitated the relocation of 682 inmates. Monitoring of radon levels began as early as 2010, yet the final prisoners – 640 in total – and 159 staff were not moved out until July 2024. This timeline has prompted questions about whether HMPPS could have acted more swiftly to mitigate the risks.
More than 500 former inmates and prison officers are now pursuing legal claims against the government, alleging that their health was jeopardized by exposure to the dangerous gas.
Duchy of Cornwall and Ongoing Investigation
HMP Dartmoor is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, the estate that provides a private income for Prince William, and leased to the MoJ. An investigation into the radon levels at the prison, launched by the Health and Safety Executive in 2023, remains ongoing.
Mark Fairhurst, the national chair of the Prison Officers Association, welcomed the report, stating, “It is abhorrent that such a failure has not yielded consequences for the high-ranking decision makers that not only put everyone within Dartmoor prison at risk but also wasted millions of pounds of tax revenue.”
MoJ Defends Decision Amidst Prison Capacity Concerns
Jo Farrar, the MoJ’s permanent secretary, defended the 2022 lease agreement during testimony before MPs in October. She argued that the prison system was facing a critical shortage of places at the time, and Dartmoor provided over 600 much-needed spaces. “A sensible and pragmatic decision was taken in March, when all the information that we have now was not available, that it was necessary, given the issues the government were facing, to sign the lease and keep Dartmoor open,” she explained.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson reiterated that the decision was made in 2022, inheriting “a crisis in our prisons system, where prisons were on the brink of collapse, threatening a total collapse in law and order.”
The committee has demanded a response from the government outlining the lessons learned from this “catastrophic failure,” signaling a continued scrutiny of the MoJ’s handling of the HMP Dartmoor debacle.
