§ Mr. Patrick HallTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what further progress has been made with the Quinquennial Review of the Northern Ireland Prison Service. [133789]
§ Mr. IngramI have recently received the Review Team's report on the second and final stage of the Quinquennial Review. The report—a copy of which I am placing in the Library of each House—examines how the effectiveness and efficiency with which the Prison Service delivers its services and functions can be further improved in the future.
It makes a number of very valuable recommendations that will assist the Prison Service to focus more clearly on the outcomes it will need to achieve. These include Key Performance Indicators that for the first time explicitly address the need to reduce the differential in cost per prisoner place between Northern Ireland and Great Britain and to secure a more balanced workforce. There are also important recommendations covering closer co-operation with the probation service and with neighbouring prison services.
I have accepted the recommendations of the report and have asked the Prison Service to reflect them in the new Framework Document that will be published in the autumn.