Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will review the National Offender Management Service's Benchmarking Policy and efficiency programme in HM Prison Rochester.

The Benchmark Project involves applying the ‘benchmark’ developed in competition. Its purpose is to contribute to the further efficiencies public prisons were required to make and to optimise the effective delivery of services to help reduce re-offending. Applying the benchmark to an establishment involves two elements: the regime refresh and a new approach to staffing, which follows the principle of resource following risk. The benchmarking process includes a mechanism for Governors to formally raise resourcing issues and for additional resources to be deployed if deemed necessary. HMP Rochester has implemented the ‘benchmark’ principles however current recruitment levels of instructional staff mean that full implementation is not yet complete. Therefore, it is not proposed to revisit the Benchmarking Policy in HMP Rochester.