Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spent on the purchase of televisions in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.
The Department holds limited data in respect of question part A & B due to the termination of a previous contractor who was unable to provide detailed management information.
The Department has split the data into the spend relating to Prisoner in cell televisions and other televisions as the majority of spend relates to in cell television supply.
The cost of in cell televisions is funded directly by prisoners through a national TV rental scheme, where prisoners pay £1.00 per week for single occupancy accommodation or 50p per week for dual occupancy accommodation.
Prisoners are only allowed to participate within the rental scheme if they have earned the right through the Prisons Incentives and Earned Privilege Scheme (IEPS).
The costs of In Cell TV purchases is fully met by the TV rental scheme.
The data requested can be found below:
2013/2014 | 2014 / 2015 Until September | ||
Category | Net Spend | Category | Net Spend |
In cell televisions | £684,912 .00 | In cell televisions | £395,812.20 |
Other televisions | *No Data Available | Other televisions | £32, 027.00 |
Spend on in cell television has reduced significantly since 2012-2013 since the introduction of a national in- house repair service and central purchase and internal distribution of in cell televisions. Legacy data has been provided from 2009/2010.
2009/2010 | 2010/2011 | ||
Category | Net Spend | Category | Net Spend |
In cell televisions | £1,411,162.00 | In cell televisions | £1,104,224.09 |
Other televisions | £232,552.03 | Other televisions | £164,355 |
2011/2012 | 2012 / 2013 | ||
Category | Net Spend | Category | Net Spend |
In cell televisions | £836,038.0 | In cell televisions | £1,128,097.00 |
Other televisions | £124,334.00 | Other televisions | *No Data Available |
The national TV repair service is operated by a Prisoner workshop in the North of England that also provides educational training and purposeful activity for Prisoners.
The refurbishment of televisions also contributes towards reducing the department’s carbon reduction through minimising the purchase of new TV’s. All parts used in TV repairs are salvaged from other sets to maximise the use of unserviceable units.