§ Mr. TrendTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the operating costs of(a) privately managed prisons and (b) prisons directly managed by the Prison Service. [35207]
§ Miss WiddecombeComparison of the costs per prisoner place at privately managed prisons with similar publicly managed ones indicates that costs of the privately managed prisons were 15 to 25 per cent. lower in 1993–94 than their nearest public sector counterparts. This indicates annual savings to the taxpayer of £5 million to £10 million a year for the four privately managed prisons currently operating. Further analyses will be conducted on the basis of more extended private sector experience.