HC Deb 27 October 1992 vol 212 cc581-2W
Mr. Milburn

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what his Department's estimates are for the potential redundancy costs of teaching staff currently employed by local education authorities arising from changes in the provision of educational services in Her Majesty's prison service;

(2) who will have responsibility for redundancy payments of teaching staff in the event of changes in the provision of educational services in Her Majesty's prison service leading to existing contracts with further education colleges being changed;

(3) what his Department's estimates are for the overall financial costs of the proposed changes in the provision of educational services in prison service establishments.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

[holding answer 26 October 1992]: The prison service has given notice that it intends to invite competitive tenders for the provision of education to inmates in prisons and young offender institutions in England and Wales, for which it is responsible, with effect from 1 April 1993. This is consequent upon changes in the further education responsibilities of local education authorities resulting from the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 and is consistent with the Government's policies on market testing, as set out in the White Paper "Competing for Quality" (Cm 1730).

Competition between the public and private sector is directed to achieving better service and value for money. It will be possible to quantify the overall benefits in quality and cost only when the tendering exercise is complete.

All existing providers are being invited to tender, and any possible consequential redundancy costs cannot therefore yet be accurately assessed. Such costs would fall to the employer of existing prison education staff, normally the local education authority or a college of further education. They would only arise if the existing provider was unseccessful in the competitive tender and it was not possible to avoid redundancy, for example, by redeployment of staff to other areas or agreed transfers to the new contractor.

Mr. Milburn

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what costs were incurred by his Department in employing outside consultants to advise on changes to be made in the provision of educational services in prison service establishments.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

[holding answer 26 October 1992]: Consultants were employed 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 cost was £27,500, exclusive of value added tax.

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