Prison governors will get unprecedented new powers under reforms to be announced in today’s Queen’s Speech.
Proposals from justice secretary Michael Gove will see governors of six prisons given control of their budgets and the day-to-day running of their facilities.
They will also be able to set out plans to generate and retain income for their prisons, as well as choosing which education and rehabilitation programmes to use for inmates.
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This will be accompanied by what the government is calling a “new regime of transparency”, which includes schools-style league tables for prisons based on the reoffending rate, post-release employment and incidences of violence and self-harm among prisoners.
David Cameron said the plans were part of a “clear programme of social reform” in his government’s legislative agenda.
“Today, we start the long-overdue, long-needed change that our prisons need. No longer will they be warehouses for criminals; they will now be places where lives are changed,” he said.
Launching the government’s legislative agenda for the parliamentary year, the Queen will set out plans to speed up adoption, tackle extremism and accelerate the roll-out of high-speed broadband to remote communities in the UK.
Today’s event comes amid a tumultuous time for the Conservative party, as MPs on opposing sides of the European Union debate trade blows ahead of the in-out vote on 23 June.
Lord Lansley, former Commons Leader, warned that the Queen’s Speech risked being overshadowed by the referendum, which itself is creating “a very large uncertainty” for the parliamentary programme.
“If there were a Brexit vote, not immediately but certainly in the latter part of the parliament, we would be completely absorbed with trying to manage the legislative consequences of that which would be monstrous to think about,” he said.
Cameron reportedly hopes that the government’s legislative agenda can unify the Tories after the referendum.
“This is a One Nation Queen’s Speech from a One Nation government,” he will say today.
“It sets out a clear programme of social reform, so we break down the barriers to opportunity and extend life chances to all.”
A report published earlier this week by the Institute for Government think tank warned ministers against overloading the Queen's Speech with new bills, instead urging a focus on key policy priorities.