§ Mr. Georgeasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many private security firms are employed by his Department or bodies associated with his Department; how many personnel are employed, at which locations, on what responsibilities and duties, and at what annual cost; what have been the comparable figures for each of the last three years; and what estimates he has made as to the likely figures for 1984.
§ Mr. BrittanIt is Government policy to contract out services such as security guarding on non-sensitive sites when this is cost-effective and makes good management sense. My Department has contracts with four private security firms to escort and detain, under the authority of the immigration service, persons held under the Immigration Act 1971, whenever this is not considered an appropriate use of police manpower; to safeguard cash in transit from banks to Home Office establishments in various parts of the country; and to safeguard some buildings. The number of personnel employed by these contractors varies according to the demand for their services.
In addition, four other firms provide some security services at residential training establishments as part of their general responsibilities for catering and other services at those establishments.
The annual cost of the services provided by private security firms in each of the four years requested — excluding the cost of security services at residential training establishments referred to above, since these are not readily identifiable—is: 372W
£ 1981–82 1,145,000 1982–83 1,197,000 1983–84* 1,248,000 1984–85* 1,300,000 *Estimated.