HC Deb 24 July 2002 vol 389 c1447W
Charlotte Atkins

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will announce the outcome of the market testing of the management of HMP Brixton. [73628]

Mr. Hilary Benn

The market test for the management of Brixton did not attract bids from the private sector, partly because of its poor physical condition and location. The in house bid, while being impressive, was not affordable. Therefore, instead of operating under a Service Level Agreement, the prison will continue to be run under existing management arrangements. However, a performance baseline will be set with challenging improvement targets, and progress will be closely monitored.