HC Deb 16 February 1994 vol 237 cc798-800W
Mrs. Golding

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sexual offences were committed by people under the age of 16 years in each year since 1987.

Mr. Maclean

The readily available information for 1987 to 1992 on the number of offenders aged under 16 years found guilty or cautioned for sexual offences is given in the table.

Cost of food for prisoners

The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your two recent Qeustions about the cost of food for prisoners at both publicly and privately managed prisons in England.

The information requested in respect of prisons whose management has not been contracted out is given in the attached table.

Contracts applying to those prisons managed by the private sector, including Wolds and Doncaster, do not directly specify the cost of food for prisoners. Contracts specify outputs and the requirements and standards which contractors much meet, rather than inputs which are left to contractors to determine.

The requirements and standards laid down are set out in the operational specification and performance criteria contained in the invitation to tender (ITT) documents issued to each bidder and subsequently in the contracts themselves. A copy of the operational specification from the ITT for each prison whose management has been contracted out has been placed in the Library of the House.

The requirements include the provision of three meals a day, one of which must be hot; a choice of dish for the main meal of the day; a hot meal for all reception prisoners; and suitable refreshment for prisoners at court or on escort outside the prison. In addition, meals must meet the daily amounts of food, energy and nutrients, recommended by the Department of Health; modified diets must be provided as necessary for medical,

Establishment Inmate cost per week Establishment Inmate cost per week
£ £
Acklington 9.03 Albany 9.24
Aldington 9.73 Ashwell 9.24
Askham Grange 9.52 Aylesbury 9.24
Bedford 10.01 Belmarsh 9.03
Birmingham 9.66 Blantyre House 9.94
Blundeston 10.57 Brinsford 9.17
Bristol 9.66 Brixton 9.17
Brockhill 9.31 Bullingdon 9.17
Bullwood Hall 9.59 Camp Hill 9.31
Canterbury 9.31 Cardiff 9.73
Castington 9.24 Channings Wood 9.17
Chelmsford N/a Coldingley 9.24
Cookham Wood N/a Dartmoor 9.45
Deerbolt N/a Dorchester 9.31
Dover 9.52 Downview N/a
Drake Hall 9.52 Durham 9.31
East Sutton Park N/a Elmley 9.10
Erlestoke 9.73 Everthorpe 9.73
Exeter 9.38 Featherstone 9.17
Feltham 9.03 Finnamore Wood 10.50
Ford 9.31 Frankland 9.45
Full Sutton 10.57 Garth 9.52
Gartree 10.29 Glen Parva 9.10
Gloucester 9.66 Grendon 9.45
Guys Marsh 9.59 Haslar 9.24
Hatfield 9.31 Haverigg 9.59
Hewell Grange 9.38 Highdown 9.24
Highpoint 9.03 Hindley 9.10
Hollesley 9.52 Holloway 9.80
Holme House 9.17 Hull 9.31
Huntercombe 9.45 Kingston 10.78
Kirkham 9.10 Kirklevington 9.24
Lancaster 9.59 Lancaster Farms N/a
Latchmere 12.11 Leeds 9.24
Leicester 9.66 Lewes 10.08
Leyhill 9.59 Lincoln 9.03
Lindholme 9.24 Littlehey 10.01
Liverpool 9.10 Long Lartin 10.99
Low Newton 9.17 Maidstone 10.36
Manchester 9.24 Moorland 9.17
Morton Hall 9.31 Mount 10.29
New Hall 9.59 Northallerton 9.24
North Sea Camp 10.50 Norwich 10.08
Nottingham , 10.15 Onley 9.31
Parkhurst 9.59 Pentonville 9.10
Portland 9.10 Preston 9.38
Pucklechurch 9.38 Ranby 9.31
Reading 9.24 Risley 9.45
Rochester 9.87 Rudgate 9.24
Send 9.31 Shepton Mallet 9.24
Shrewsbury 9.73 Springhill 9.66
Stafford 9.10 Standford Hill 9.24
Stocken 9.38 Stoke Heath 9.10
Styal 10.36 Sudbury/Foston 10.01
Swaleside 9.24 Swansea 9.45
Swinfen Hall 9.24 Thorn Cross 9.31
Thorp Arch 9.38 Usk 9.24
The Verne 9.31 Wakefield 9.52
Wandsworth 9.31 Wayland 9.59
Wellingborough 10.29 Werrington 9.24
Wetherby 9.24 Whatton 9.17
Whitemoor 9.52 Winchester 9.31
Woodhill 10.01 Wormwood Scrubs 9.38
Wymott 9.10

religious or other reasons; and food must be prepared and served to high standards of food handling and hygiene to ensure proper temperature, appearance and palatability.

Performance to the standards required is monitored by the on-site Prison Service Controller. Remedies for failure to deliver the required standards include withholding payment of part of all of the contractor's management fee. This is a powerful incentive for contractors to maintain standards and is one which is not available in the publicly managed part of the service.