§ Ms RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 30 March,Official Report, column 843, if he will give the reason why an appropriate financial remedy is to be taken under the terms of the contract for Blakenhurst prison in connection with the incident on 24 February.
§ Mr. Peter LloydResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 12 April 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about Blakenhurst prison.It is intended that an appropriate financial remedy under the terms of the contract be taken for the month of February as, in the light of the incident on 24 February, the Prison Service does not consider that UKDS fully delivered the required service during that month.In particular, during the incident, some parts of the prison were not fully in control, with consequent effects on regime delivery; and public relations and contingency arrangements were not satisfactory. Following the incident, the population was reduced to enable essential repairs to be carried out.