§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the projected private sector involvement in the Prison Service; and what was the basis for calculating this figure. [385]
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§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. George Howarth, dated 21 November 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about projected private sector involvement in the Prison Service.
Our aim is to create a private sector able to provide sustained competition, to improve standards and cost efficiency. There is a commitment that, in the initial phase, about ten per cent of prisons in England and Wales (thirteen in total) will be managed by the private sector.
This strategy is designed to secure continuing and lasting improvements in standards, quality and cost efficiency across the whole of the prison system in England and Wales. For these objectives to be achieved, the private sector must be large enough to provide sustained competition and involve several private sector companies.