Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2019 to Question 243526 on Prisons: Contracts, if the criteria for the qualitative evaluation of operational resources will include minimum staffing levels.

One of the key aims of the competition is to secure high quality, value for money bids. We expect providers to adequately resource their respective establishments to deliver a safe, decent and secure regime but also want to encourage innovation in service delivery. We believe setting a mandatory minimum threshold for staffing would not fully deliver the aims of the competition and could stifle the ability to innovate, both now and in the future.

However, we will robustly evaluate bidder responses, for both quality and cost in consultation with subject matter experts across the organisation. It provides a full resourcing model based on the design of the prison, operating capacity, security category, the vision for the regime and the type of services that would best meet the needs of the cohort within.

The PSC will enable us to rigorously evaluate the operational and financial aspects of the bids and 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.

Recognition rights for trade unions are a matter for individual bidders and therefore are not mandated in the contract.