§ Mr. AllanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the use of service level agreements by the Prison Service; and if he will give details of those service level agreements currently in operation. [40080]
§ Ms QuinThe one service level agreement in operation within the Prison Service is at Her Majesty's Prison Manchester. There has been a service level agreement between the Prison Service and the in-house management team since January 1994. The current agreement runs until 15 October 2001, with an option to extend until 6 March 2008.
The Prison Service Review, published in October 1997, recommended the more widespread use of service level agreements of the type used at Her Majesty's Prison Manchester. The Prison Service is now planning how such arrangements might be introduced into other directly managed prisons as a means of improving the level of service and value for money across the prison estate. Initially this would take the form of pilot schemes in 1999–2000.