§ Sir Ivan LawrenceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the responsibilities of the planned prison service agency will be in relation to private sector involvement in the management of prisons; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeI have decided that when the prison service becomes an executive agency on 1 April it should assume full responsibility for taking forward Government policy on the involvement of the private sector in the management of prisons. The framework document and corporate and business plans for the agency will reflect this position.
The objective of the agency will be to raise standards and secure better value for money throughout the prison system. I envisage an increased role for the private sector in the management of prisons in order to provide an effective source of competition, new ideas and comparison for the management of the public sector prison service. The agency will make recommendations to me later this year on the extent, form and timetable for private sector involvement. In the interim, further existing establishments will be identified for market testing.