§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to revise the existing contracts for private prisons in respect of cost reductions in the state sector. [13277]
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. George Howarth, dated 5 February 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the revision of contractual requirements for the contractually-managed prisons in regard to cost reductions in the public sector.
No decision has been taken about whether the services provided by contractually-managed prisons should be changed. However, consideration is being given to whether this can contribute to the Prison Service's cost-reduction strategy for 1996–99.