Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department plans to award any new prison contracts to private sector organisations during the course of the current Parliament.

We will modernise the prison estate, closing older prisons that are not fit for purpose and creating in their place high-quality, modern establishments.

This will help deliver prisons that are more safe and secure, so our staff can work more closely with offenders to change their lives and turn their back on crime for good.

Decisions have yet to be made about the future operation of any new prisons or existing privately managed prisons where contracts are due to expire in the next five years.