§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish further figures on the comparative cost of public and private prisons; and if he will make a statement. [26659]
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility 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 Richard Tilt to Mr. Alex Carlile, dated 29 April 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking when will further figures on the comparative cost of public and private prisons be published.We have recently received the first draft of a report by Coopers and Lybrand which updates the comparison of performance on cost and service delivery between each of the privately managed prisons and the most nearly comparable public sector prisons, using 1994–95 data.Once the report has been finalised, we shall need to discuss the findings. and arrangements for publications, with Ministers.