HC Deb 24 June 1993 vol 227 c254W
15. Ms Eagle

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of his Department's prison privatisation programme.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

Following the contracting out of the Wolds remand prison and Her Majesty's prison Blakenhurst, tenders for Her Majesty's prison Doncaster are to be invited in July. The market testing of Manchester prison is proceeding and a decision on the service supplier is expected in July.

17. Mr. Hoyle

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will allow the existing prison service to bid to run the prison in future prison privatisation.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The Prison Service will not be bidding in the next competitive tender to run Her Majesty's prison Doncaster. This continues the policy of no in-house bids for new establishments in the current building programme, which ends with Doncaster. The service will concentrate on preparing in-house bids for the next tranche of market testing of existing establishments.