§ Ms RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the estimated timetable for the financing, designing, building and opening of the new prisons announced in October 1993;
(2) when he will be inviting private sector proposals for financing, designing, building and managing the six new prisons which were announced in October last year.
§ Mr. Peter LloydResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 1 February 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your two recent Questions about the timing of plans for the design, construction, management and finance by the private sector of the six new prisons which were announced in October last year.Expressions of interest for the first two of these, in South Wales and on Merseyside, have been invited. Private sector companies interested in bidding for these contracts have been asked to let the Prison Service have their initial responses by 11 February 1994. By 31 March 1994 the Prison Service plans to issue invitations to tender for the two projects. The timetable for the award of contracts and completion of the prisons will depend on the initial responses, but it is intended that the two prisons should be brought into use as speedily as possible.Work is currently in progress to identify suitable sites for the other four prisons.