§ Shona McIsaacTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made with the Quinquennial Review of the Northern Ireland Prison Service. [122224]
§ Mr. IngramI have recently received the Review Team's report on the first stage of the Quinquennial Review. The report, which follows extensive internal and external consultation, analyses the performance of the Northern Ireland Prison Service since it became an Agency in April 1995, including how it is perceived by the various bodies and interests affected by the services that it provides—including its own staff. It also considers the services likely to be needed in future and the organisational options for delivering them.
It is clear from the report (a copy of which I am placing in the Library of each House) that the Prison Service has made considerable progress, in uniquely difficult circumstances, over the past five years. The report recommends unequivocally that Agency status should be retained as the most appropriate way of delivering custodial services in Northern Ireland.
I have accepted that recommendation and have asked the Review Team to embark on the second stage of the review, examining how the effectiveness and efficiency with which the Prison Service delivers its services and functions can be further improved in the future. The culmination of this final stage of the review will be the publication in the Summer of a new Framework Document for the Northern Ireland Prison Service.