§ Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions private prison operators have been(a) fined and (b) had payments withheld for breaking contract conditions; if he will provide details of each default notice issued, indicating the dates and amounts concerned; and if he will make a statement. [5106]
§ Beverley Hughes[holding answer 19 July 2001]The contractors running privately managed prisons are financially penalised in the form of deductions from the fee payable to them by the Prison Service. There have been 36 occasions on which deductions have been made; these are listed in the tables for each of the five prisons which have incurred deductions, together with the amounts, reasons and dates. The five remaining privately managed prisons have not incurred deductions: Ashfield, Doncaster, Dovegate, Forest Bank and Rye Hill prisons. Buckley Hall prison transferred to Prison Service management on 26 June 2000; a fine of £526 was deducted in February 1997 for performance points while under private management.
907W
Number of occasions Penalty: £ Reasons: PP = performance points Dates HMP Altcourse 1 2,368.50 PP's for Qtr 2 September 1998 2 195,000 PP's and Doubling Qtrs 2,3 and 4 November 1998 3 4,144.97 PP's for Qtr 3 December 1998 4 3,954.04 PP's for Qtr 4 March 1999 5 3,511.23 PP's for Qtr 1 June 1999 6 3,304.27 PP's for Qtr 2 September 1999 7 440.40 PP's for Qtr 3 December 1999 8 108,039.25 PP's for Qtr 4 February 2000 9 4.82 PP's for Qtr 4 March 2000 10 34,061.74 PP's for Qtr 1 May 2000 11 9.77 PP's for Qtr 1 June 2000 HMP Blakehurst 1 25,000 Escape November 1998 HMP Lowdham Grange 1 702.00 PP's for Qtr 1 June 1998 2 45,080.00 PP's for Qtr 2 August 1998 3 31,231.00 PP's for Qtr 3 November 1998 4 6,334.00 PP's for Qtr 4 February 1999 5 11,865.00 PP's for Qtr 4 February 2000 6 5,703.00 PP's for Qtr 1 May 2001 HMP Parc 1 54,782 Performance points March 1998 2 1,308.56 PP's for Qtr 1 July 1998 3 298.09 Doubling June 1998 4 750,000.00 PP's for Qtr 3 + doubling November 1998 5 7,520.17 PP's for Qtr 1 doubling May 1999 6 80,390.38 Doubling Qtr 2 August 1999 7 2,296.94 Doubling Qtr 2 September 1999 8 109,329.27 Doubling Qtr 3 November 1999 9 601.77 Doubling Qtr 4 January 2000 10 7,708.10 PP's for Qtr 1 April 2000 11 5,401.68 PP's for Qtr 2 July 2000 12 3,448.07 PP's for Qtr 3 October 2000 13 59.22 PP's for Qtr 4 January 2001 HMP Wolds 1 3,607.50 PP's Qtr 3 October 1999 2 10,432.50 PP's Qtr 4 January 2000 3 15,353.00 PP's Qtr 2 July 2000 4 9,782.50 PP's Qtr 3 October 2000 5 4,680.00 PP's Qtr 4 January 2000
§ Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the basis is on which financial penalties imposed on contractors of privately managed prisons are calculated; and if he will make a statement. [5105]
§ Beverley Hughes[holding answer 19 July 2001]There are three ways in which contractors can incur financial penalties. The contracts for privately managed prisons require the contractor to operate to a range of standards measuring the performance of the prison. Failure to reach any of these standards results in the accumulation of penalty points; the number of points incurred depends on the seriousness of the failure. If these accumulated penalty points exceed a specified threshold, financial penalties are imposed by means of deductions from the fee payable to the contractor. There is an upper limit to the level of financial penalties that can be imposed. In some contracts an escape attracts a fixed fine.
Additionally contractors can be penalised for unauthorised overcrowding, if the contractor holds more than a specified number of prisoners in a cell, and for 908W unavailable places, the criteria for which include levels of security, control of prisoners and physical requirements such as lighting and heating.
§ Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many former Home Office officials and Prison Service staff have taken paid employment with private companies involved in the operation, management and building of private prisons in each of the last 10 years; how many of those employees were formerly responsible for overseeing, managing and inspecting contracts for private prisons; and if he will make a statement. [5103]
§ Beverley Hughes[holding answer 19 July 2001]There is no contractual requirement for companies to record the information requested. Such information as has been recorded could be collated only at disproportionate cost.