§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current number and annual cost of staff at Doncaster prison; and what are the figures in respect of the agreed tender.
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§ Mr. Michael ForsythResponsibility 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 Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 16 February 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of and annual cost of staff at Doncaster prison.The Prison Service pays a fee to Premier Prison Services Ltd to manage Doncaster prison. It is not broken down into elements such as pay. It is therefore not possible for us to say how much the annual cost of staff is. This is a matter for the company.The tender assumed a staffing level of 356 staff. The contract signed with Premier Prison Services Ltd anticipated that additional staff or other resources might be necessary and allowed for the employment of further staff. Costs of additional staff who are authorised by the Prison Service are borne largely by the Prison Service. The price paid by the Prison Service is, however, limited to the maximum permitted by the contract, which equates to the cost per place of £295 per week published at the time of contract award. The Prison Service has authorised the employment of a further 55 staff.I understand that Premier Prison Services has employed a further 24 staff for whom they have not sought reimbursement from the Prison Service and the costs of whose employment are borne entirely by the company. This brings the total number of staff to 435.