§ Mr. LeighTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the proportion of(a) initial prison construction work and (b) repair and renovation of prison buildings undertaken by small local building contractors.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggOne contract for the construction of a new prison, typically costing £40 million to £50 million would normally be awarded. By virtue of the size and54W complexity of the scheme the firm to which it was let would be a large national concern. All such firms would however sub-let elements of the work, and local firms would be able to compete for this where they had the relevant skills and capacity.
Small local building contractors are similarly able to compete for elements of large schemes of repair and renovation at existing establishments. They undertake the great majority of minor repairs and minor new works at these prisons, also on a competitive basis.