§ Ms. RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who will make the decision to award a contract for prison education services after tenders have been submitted; and what is his policy in respect of treating each prison on a case by case basis.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe contracts for the provision of education services to inmates in prisons in England and Wales from 1 April 1993 will be let between the Secretary of State for the Home Department and the successful tenderers. As with other contracts of this value, the responsible organisation—in this case, the prison service —will make recommendations to the Home Office procurement unit. Decisions on which contractor to recommend will be made in the operational line by the governor, or, if appropriate, by the responsible area manager, operational director or by the director-general.
In each case, the governor has prepared a specification of the educational services which the prison or young offender institution will require. Some contracts may be let for individual prisons on the recommendation of the governor. In other cases, tenderers are bidding to provide educational services for a number of prisons. In these circumstances, recommendations will be made at the appropriate operational level to accept those bids which represent the best combination of quality and price to meet the needs of the prison service.
§ Dr. WrightTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will reconsider the decision to put the prison education service out to competitive tender; and if he will make it his policy that the prison education service should continue to be provided by its current staff.
§ Mr. Peter LloydNo. The present arrangements cannot be continued because of the changes in local education authorities' responsibilities for further education from 1 April 1993. Competition is the best means of ensuring quality and value for money in the future provision of education services to prisoners.
§ Mr. ByersTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the report from the staff college at Coombe Lodge on the prison education service.
§ Mr. Peter Lloyd[holding answer 20 November 1992]: The staff college at Coombe Lodge was asked to provide advice to the prison service on the implications for the provision of education in prisons in England and Wales of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. The report contained commercially sensitive material and, in consequence, the prison service prepared and distributed widely in September 1992 a full summary of the report, together with comments on its findings. The text of the summary was agreed with the staff college and incorporated all of the report's principal recommenda-tions. I am placing copies of this summary in the Library of the House.
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