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1125102

	registered interest
	date	07/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Contracts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many contractual improvement notices have been issued at each private prison in each of the last 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	251425
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2019 answer text <p>Over the last 10 years, the following formal contractual notices have been issued at the following private prisons.</p><p> </p><p><strong>HMP Birmingham (operated by G4S)</strong></p><p>HMP Birmingham – Incident Reporting (Improvement Notice Issued August 2016, Closed January 2017 due to sufficient improvements in performance being made)</p><p>HMP Birmingham – Release in Error (Improvement Notice Issued August 2016, Closed January 2017 due to sufficient improvements in performance being made)</p><p>HMP Birmingham - Levels of Violence, reduced purposeful activity, cleanliness (Improvement Notice issued March 2018)</p><p>HMP Birmingham – ACCT (Assessment, Care in Custody, Teamwork) (Improvement Notice issued March 2018)</p><p>HMP Birmingham – Levels of Violence, reduced purposeful activity, cleanliness, (Outstanding Issues Notice issued June 2018, not closed, superseded by Step In)</p><p>HMP Birmingham – ACCT (Assessment, Care in Custody, Teamwork) ( Outstanding Issues Notice issued August 2018, not closed, superseded by Step In)</p><p> </p><p><strong>HMP &amp; YOI Doncaster (operated by Serco) </strong></p><p>HMP &amp; YOI Doncaster – Insufficient Progress against HMIP Recommendations, Increase in Levels of Violence and Staffing Levels (Improvement Notice Issued – March 2015)</p><p>HMP &amp; YOI Doncaster – Insufficient Progress against HMIP Recommendations, Increase in Levels of Violence and Staffing Levels (Outstanding Issues Notice Issued – July 2015)</p><p>HMP &amp; YOI Doncaster – Insufficient Progress against HMIP Recommendations, Increase in Levels of Violence and Staffing Levels (Rectification Notice Issued 12<sup>th</sup> – August 2015)</p><p>Rectification Closed due to sufficient improvements in performance being made in July 2017.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>HMP Northumberland (operated by Sodexo)</strong></p><p>HMP Northumberland – Insufficient performance against the Performance Threshold for Prisoner Working Hours (Improvement Notice Issued - June 2015)</p><p>Improvement Notice Closed due to sufficient improvements in performance being made in December 2016.</p><p> </p><p><strong>HMP Oakwood (operated by G4S)</strong></p><p>HMP Oakwood – Areas of Reduced performance - Cleanliness, MDT, Purposeful Activity, Searching, Staffing Numbers - (Improvement Notice Issued - February 2012)</p><p>Improvement Notice closed due to sufficient improvements in performance being made in July 2013.</p><p> </p><p><strong>HMP Peterborough (operated by Sodexo)</strong></p><p>HMP Peterborough – Healthcare Provision (Rectification Notice issued – 17<sup>th</sup> August 2018)</p><p>Rectification closed due to sufficient improvements in performance being made in January 2019</p><p> </p><p><strong>HMP Rye Hill (Operated by G4S) </strong></p><p>HMP Rye Hill – (i) Shortfall in staffing levels and (ii) inadequate paperwork plus non-compliance to PSO1700 (Management of Disruptive Prisoners) in operation of the Care and Separation Unit (Rectification Notice issued in March 2010).</p><p>HMP Rye Hill – Rectification Notice for above formally closed due to sufficient improvements in performance being made in December 2010.</p><p>HMP Rye Hill – Continued water ingress into Education Block (Corrective Action Notice Issued - September 2016)</p><p>HMP Rye Hill – Corrective Action Notice formally closed due to sufficient improvements in performance being made in January 2017).</p><p> </p><p>Every privately contracted prison is robustly scrutinised by an on-site Prison Service Controller who monitors their performance, including staffing levels. Some privately run prisons are among the best across the estate, and we are able to take rapid action if standards do not meet contractual levels, and in such circumstances remedies are applied.</p><p> </p><p>For publicly run prisons we have a Performance and Assurance Framework, which ensures that where a prisons performance falls below a certain level improvement measures can be put in place.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 17/05/2019 13:59:50 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland previous answer version 118256 answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1126630

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Contracts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2019 to Question 251408 on Prisons: Contracts, which versions of the Model for Operational Delivery have previously been made available to potential private prison contractors.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	254234
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>Two versions of the ‘Model for Operational Delivery: New Resettlement Prison’ document have been made available to bidders as part of the prison operator services competition. These were versions 1.7 and the current version, 1.8 (which has been placed in the House Library).</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 20/05/2019 11:53:46 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1129189

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Contracts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2019 to Question 251409 on Prisons: Contracts, what assessment he has made of how minimum staffing levels potentially effect the ability of private prison operators to innovate provision; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	259342
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2019 answer text <p>No specific assessment has been made of how minimum staffing levels potentially affect the ability of private prison operators to innovate provision, however, the issue of staffing will be subject to thorough scrutiny.</p><p>Our contracts with current private prison operators set out the services they are required to deliver and the standards they are expected to reach. There is no requirement in the contracts to agree staffing levels with the Ministry of Justice. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to determine and maintain the number of staff necessary to discharge the requirements of the contract.</p><p>To manage the performance indicators set out in the contracts, each privately managed prison has a full-time on-site Controller, Deputy Controller and Assistant Controller, all employed by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). The Controller has regular review meetings with the contractor against a range of performance indicators that will reflect numbers of staff in post, recruitment, training, sickness, and attrition. Where action is needed, progress is monitored by the Controller and escalated within HMPPS where appropriate action can be taken in accordance with the contract. This may include a requirement for urgent improvement and/or financial deductions.</p><p>Mandating minimum staffing levels for private prison operators would restrict their ability to introduce and foster innovation, and their flexibility to adjust their staffing levels across the lifetime of the contract according to the needs and demands created by any changes to the prison population or in risk. It could also deter them from engaging with expertise and professional support in the local and wider community and hinder their ability to respond quickly to new challenges and opportunities.</p><p>Private prisons have been recognised for their innovation, for example:</p><p> </p><ul><li>HMP Altcourse has been praised by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) for its innovative approach to violence reduction.</li><li>HMP Parc founded a ground-breaking families intervention programme that has been replicated in the Netherlands and continues to receive international praise.</li><li>Prisoners at HMP Lowdham Grange introduced a photobooth in March last year, as part of efforts to help families and children have a more positive experience of visiting their fathers. HMIP described this as a “good innovation”.</li></ul><p> </p><p>As part of the Prison Operator Competition we will expect bidders to adequately resource their respective establishments to deliver a safe, decent and secure regime. We will robustly evaluate bidder responses for both quality and cost, in consultation with subject matter experts across the organisation using a public sector compactor, which includes proposed staffing levels. This will provide assurance that bidders have the resources required to ensure a safe, decent, secure and rehabilitative regime that delivers quality, value for money and affordability.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 11/06/2019 12:55:24 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1129883

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Contracts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2019 to Question 251411 on Prisons: Contracts, at which privately operated prisons information on staffing levels is submitted through management information requirements.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	260073
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>All privately-managed prisons provide general management information, which will include references to staffing levels. It does not include figures on number of staff employed, or staff at work on any particular day. The Ministry of Justice responds to Freedom of Information requests in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the guidance issued from time to time by the Information Commissioner’s Office. Any information the Ministry holds in relation to privately-managed prisons would be assessed for commercial sensitivity. We do not, however, collect statistics on staff employed or deployed by privately-managed prisons.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland grouped question UIN 260074 question first answered 10/06/2019 16:44:29 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1129884

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Contracts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2019 to Question 251424 on Prisons: Contracts, whether exemptions applied according to Section 43 can include information on staffing levels.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	260074
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>All privately-managed prisons provide general management information, which will include references to staffing levels. It does not include figures on number of staff employed, or staff at work on any particular day. The Ministry of Justice responds to Freedom of Information requests in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the guidance issued from time to time by the Information Commissioner’s Office. Any information the Ministry holds in relation to privately-managed prisons would be assessed for commercial sensitivity. We do not, however, collect statistics on staff employed or deployed by privately-managed prisons.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland grouped question UIN 260073 question first answered 10/06/2019 16:44:29 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1130923

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Contracts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2019 to Question 251411 on Prisons: Contracts, through what management information requirements is information on staffing levels submitted.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	262423
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>Controllers at each privately-managed prison hold regular review meetings with the contractor against a range of performance indicators that will reflect staffing, recruitment, training, sickness, and attrition and any concerns are discussed at these meetings. Where action is needed, progress is monitored by the relevant Controller and escalated within HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) where appropriate action can be taken in accordance with the contract. There is no requirement in the contracts to agree staffing levels with the Ministry of Justice.</p><p> </p><p>Private providers continue to play an important role in the prison estate and I can assure you that performance of all providers is closely monitored and we will not hesitate to take action where standards fall short.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 18/06/2019 15:03:05 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1131180

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Contracts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the prison operator competition to date; and what estimate he has made of the projected cost of that competition.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	263187
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2019 answer text <p>The estimated cost for the Prison Operator Competition up to April 2019 is £1.8m. The estimated projected cost of the competition (including costs to date) is £5.5m. The estimated costs cover the staffing and external advice required to develop and run the competition.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 19/06/2019 16:39:25 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1131228

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Contracts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2019 to Question 254234 on Prisons: Contracts, on what date version 1.7 of the document, Model for operational delivery: new resettlement prison was produced.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	263191
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>Version 1.7 of the document <em>Model for Operational Delivery: New Resettlement Prison</em> was published on 29 November 2018, in line with the launch of the Prison Operator Framework Competition.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 17/06/2019 16:55:01 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1134996

	registered interest
	date	26/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Contracts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2019 to Question 259342 on Prisons: Contracts, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of HMP Altcourse’s innovative approach to violence reduction on levels of (a) prison-on-prisoner assaults, (b) prisoner-on-staff assaults, (c) serious prison-on-prisoner assaults and (d) serious prisoner-on-staff assaults between 2010 and 2018.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	269811
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/07/2019 answer text <p>Altcourse is currently meeting the majority of its contract targets and overall performance against the contract is very good. In their report Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons acknowledged that the Prison had strong leadership, and a highly positive staff culture and delivering good outcomes in many key areas.</p><p> </p><p>G4S has introduced a range of measures in response to levels of violence within the prison, including behaviour management strategies to deal with violent and complex individuals in their Brook unit. Performance of the contract at Altcourse continues to be robustly managed. Please see attached table.</p><p> </p><p>The safety of Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service staff working in prisons is a priority. Across the prison estate we have invested an additional £70m in a raft of measures designed to improve safety, security and decency – including body-scanners, enhanced searches and new investigative teams.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 05/07/2019 14:55:41 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard attachment 1 file name PQ 269811 Table.docx title Table
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1135003

	registered interest
	date	26/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Contracts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 17 May 2019 to Question 251425 on Prisons: Contracts, what the shortfall in staffing levels was at HMP Rye Hill that required the issuing of a Rectification Notice in March 2010.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	269817
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/07/2019 answer text <p>Onley Prison Services Limited (OPSL) was awarded a contract to design, manage, finance and construct HMP Rye Hill in 1999 following a fair and open competition process. OPSL appointed G4S as its operating subcontractor to provide the custodial service element on their behalf.</p><p>Running a safe and secure prison is the priority for OPSL, G4S and the MoJ, but as with all privately managed prisons, the MoJ requires its contractors to employ sufficient levels of staff to meet their contractual obligations.</p><p>The MoJ issued performance related Contract Notices to OPSL as formal notification of specific concerns of performance falling below expected standards. These can be related to performance delivery indicators and/or in response to other concerns about custodial service delivery.</p><p>A Rectification Notice was issued because the MoJ was concerned that the numbers of staff employed to deliver the custodial service were reaching a level where OPSL would be under pressure to meet their contractual obligations and meet their performance delivery indicators. The number of staff employed for private prisons is not published due to commercial sensitivity.</p><p>Serco was awarded the contract to manage HMP Doncaster in 2011 following a fair and open competition process.</p><p>Performance related Contract Notices are issued as formal notification to the contractor where the MoJ identifies specific areas of concern that performance has fallen below expected standards. These can be related to performance delivery indicators and/or in response to other specific concerns about custodial service delivery.</p><p>Two HMIP inspections, in March 2014 and October 2015, found that Doncaster was a less respectful institution and a less safe prison than it had been in 2010. The MoJ was concerned that Serco was making insufficient progress in improving its performance to address the shortfalls highlighted by HMIP and that this was, in part, due to their lack of consistency in providing sufficient levels of staff.</p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland grouped question UIN 269818 269819 269820 question first answered 05/07/2019 13:28:05 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon