HC Deb 18 February 1988 vol 127 cc709-10W
60. Mr. Gerald Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations he has held following his noble Friend, the Earl of Caithness's visit to America to study the prison system there.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

Both before and since my noble Friend's visit to America, there have been extensive discussions at official level with private companies which have expressed an interest in the design and building of prisons or the provision of management or other services.