HC Deb 06 July 1994 vol 246 cc201-2W
Ms Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) 1992–93 and (b) 1993–94 market tests have been discontinued.

Mr. Charles Wardle

Ten market tests in the 1992–93 Home Office market testing programme have been discontinued. No market tests in the 1993–94 programme have been discontinued.

Mr. Fatchett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out the total cost of external consultancy fees incurred by his Department in relation to market testing.

Mr. Charles Wardle

[holding answer 29 June 1994]: From 1 April 1992 to 31 May 1994, expenditure by my Department including the Prison Service on external consultancies in respect of market testing is estimated to be approximately £930,000.

Ms Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what interim proposals Ernst and Young has made as part of the expenditure review concerning(a) market testing, (b) unit costs and (c) the funding of voluntary organisations.

Mr. Charles Wardle

During the course of the review a number of topics were considered for more detailed work. These included exploring a method of achieving equivalent savings to market testing without going out to competition, the development of better use of unit cost information and examination of the effectiveness of Home Office scrutiny of proposals for grants to the voluntary sector.

Ms Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) Prison Service functions have been contracted out and (b) in-house jobs have been lost as a result of the (i) 1992–93 and (ii) 1993–94 Prison Service market testing programmes.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

Responsibility 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 6 July 1994: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking how many Prison Service functions have been contracted out and in-house jobs lost as a result of our 1992–93 and 1993–94 market testing programmes. The 1992–93 programme led to contracts being let for court escort and custody services in the East Midlands and Humberside area, for the management of Blakenhurst prison and for prison education. These have resulted in a net reduction of 78 full time equivalent Prison Service posts in relation to the court escort service. Because Blakenhurst was a new prison and education was not previously provided by in-house Prison Service staff, neither of these resulted in a loss of posts. Also, as a result of the in-house team winning the competiton for warehousing and distribution, 82 full time equivalent Prison Service posts were lost. From the 1993–94 programme the court escort and custody services in the Metropolitan Police District and the management of Doncaster prison have been contracted out. The net reduction in the number of Prison Service posts as a result of contracting out the court escort service is 250. Because Doncaster prison is a new prison, contracting out has not reduced the number of existing posts in the Prison Service.