£11bn Black Hole: Ministry of Justice Under Fire for Missing Spending Receipts

A massive controversy is potentially brewing in the UK, and this time it is the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) under fire. The department stands accused of halting the publication of nearly £11 billion of spending receipts, raising serious questions about transparency and accountability. According to an analysis by Tussell, a public spending analytics firm, the MoJ is now more than two years behind in releasing crucial financial data, which leaves the public in the dark about how taxpayer money is being used.

Billions Unaccounted For

The MoJ last published supplier receipts in May 2023, according to Tussell. Since then, it has allegedly ceased disclosing itemised data on contracts and procurement despite government guidelines requiring departments to release procurement data within two months.

To estimate the scale of missing information, Tussell analysts took the most recent full year of published data, covering June 2022 to May 2023, which recorded about £5 billion in supplier payments. By prorating that figure over the 26 months of non-publication, they estimate that £10.8 billion in receipts remain unposted.

The gap is particularly concerning given the MoJ's annual budget of roughly £13 billion, overseeing prisons, courts, probation services, and related agencies across England and Wales. Critics warn that having nearly its entire contract record allegedly unpublished for over two years could mean that the bulk of its expenditures has occurred without the usual public trail. While some arm's-length bodies, such as Cafcass and the Legal Services Board, continue to publish data more regularly, most remain in the dark.

A spokesperson from Tussell reportedly said, 'This gap in publication is deeply concerning and highlights that the government is failing to meet its own transparency standards.' They added, 'Such delays undermine visibility over public spending at a time when accountability and scrutiny are more critical than ever.'

Tom Brake, Director of Unlock Democracy, also weighed in, 'With government finances painfully tight, spending receipts must be published promptly.' He added, 'They help detect and prevent the misuse and waste of precious resources. Delaying their publication damages the government's ability to control its expenditure.'

How Did The MoJ Respond?

Across the government, no other department is performing worse on this metric. For comparison, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is 13 months behind and has omitted about £3.7 billion, while the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is lagging by 10 months, missing about £880 million in disclosure. The MoJ's backlog towers above them.

In response, a spokesperson for MoJ insisted that all spending has been accounted for in annual accounts. They said, 'We need to review a substantial amount of data to ensure we do not release anything that could cause any risk, particularly to individuals.' They added, 'All departmental spend is accounted for in our annual accounts and it's misleading to suggest otherwise.'

Nevertheless, transparency advocates remain sceptical. The issue, they argue, is not whether the money exists, but whether the public, Parliament, and oversight bodies can see where and how it was spent. Without timely disclosure, it becomes harder to detect waste, fraud or inefficiency.

The government reportedly plans to ramp up MoJ spending to £13.2 billion in day-to-day outlays by 2028–29, with around £2.3 billion in capital expenditure planned. Some of that capital is earmarked for building 14,000 new prison places by 2031. If financial disclosure remains opaque while spending expands, public trust may erode even further.