Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which companies have entered the competition to run probation services in Essex.

The Transforming Rehabilitation competition has a strong mix of bidders from a diverse range of partnerships. Private firms, charities experienced in tackling issues affecting offenders and small and large businesses have joined together to compete for the work that will help turn offenders' lives around. Bids were received at the end of June and we have a healthy competition in all areas. The process to award Community Rehabilitation Company contracts is ongoing and the details of which bidders remain in the competition, in which regions, is commercially sensitive information, which I am not able to make public at this stage. We are committed to rolling out these important reforms by 2015.