§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contractually specified(a) services and (b) facilities were not available when the Altcourse 341W and Parc prisons opened; what steps the Prison Service is taking to secure full contract compliance in each case; and if he will make a statement. [28841]
§ Ms QuinHer Majesty's Prisons Parc and Altcourse opened one month and six months respectively ahead of their contractual opening date. This early opening was undertaken by the contractors in recognition of the Prison Service's urgent need for additional accommodation. Altcourse is building up its population ahead of schedule and thereby providing additional relief to the pressure on prisoner places in the north west.
As a consequence of this early opening, some services and facilities were incomplete or not available when the prisons opened. Deficiencies have been, or are being, addressed at each prison in respect of the areas set out in the list.
- HMP Parc
- (a) Services
- the level of work and training;
- automatic transmissions between the prison's own information system (PIMS) and the Prison Service central database;
- a bail information scheme for prisoners;
- direct debiting of telephone costs from prisoners' cash;
- drug testing;
- prisoners' consultation committees; and
- arrangements for prisoners' visitors.
- (b) Facilities
- a creche for visitors' children.
- HMP Altcourse
- (a) Services
- throughcare;
- personal officer scheme;
- legal advice information;
- sentence planning;
- the levels of work and education;
- shop and haircutting arrangements;
- drug testing
- number of drug sniffer dogs;
- and arrangements for prisoners' visitors.
- (b) Facilities
- a creche for visitors' children;
- and fitting out of workshops.
All of these have been brought to the contractors' attention in writing locally, as requiring remedial action. In addition, there have been, and continue to be, regular (approximately fortnightly) meetings at corporate level with the Prison Service to discuss issues of particular concern. When the prisons reach full occupancy, there will be a full audit of contractual compliance which will also ensure that remedial action is being implemented to an agreed timetable.
Where specified performance measures are not being delivered, performance penalty points are being applied. Cumulatively, these may lead to a reduction in the contract price.