HC Deb 01 December 1992 vol 215 cc97-8W
Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he intends to ensure quality and high standards in the delivery of prison education.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The Government consider that competition is the best guarantee of quality and value for money. The report from the Education, Science and Arts Committee on prison education in 1990/91 (HC 311) and reports from Her Majesty's chief inspector of prisons have commented that, under the present arrangements, the quality of education provision varies considerably between different establishments. Through more detailed specification of requirements, competition and more rigorous monitoring, the aim is to ensure that, in future, education programmes delivered to prisoners are of a consistently high quality.

efficiency savings of £14.7 million on its running costs in the first half of 1992–93. Details of these savings are set out in the table.

Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to re-organise the delivery of the prison education service; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn) on 27 October at column 581–2. Invitations to tender for the future provision of educational services in prisons and young offender institutions were issued on 30 October and are due for return on 7 December.

Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimates he has made of the effects of the acquired rights directive on his plans to put prison education out to competitive tendering.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The legal advice received by the prison service is that, where there is a transfer of an undertaking for the purposes of the acquired rights directive and the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981, then the directive will apply. The directive does not apply where there is not a transfer of an undertaking. Competitive tendering for the future provision of education services in a prison establishment would not necessarily lead to such a transfer.