Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the reason was for the time elapsed between 18 June 2021 and the termination of the contract with MTC to run Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre; and how much funding from the public purse has been transferred to MTC in connection with that contract since (a) the date in May 2021 when the contract with MTC was originally due to expire and (b) 18 June 2021.

The time elapsed between 18 June 2021 and the termination of the contract with MTC to run Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre was to allow for options to be considered on the future of the contract with MTC.

The decision to extend MTC’s contract was made in November 2019, more than a year before the Urgent Notification was invoked by inspectors. At the time Ofsted’s assessment was that Rainsbrook ‘requires improvement’. While this is not the level of performance we would expect from any of our providers, it did not give rise to the concerns which became apparent much later in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Payments to MTC have been solely to ensure staff are paid and that the fabric and security of the Rainsbrook building are maintained. MTC has received no additional payments from which they can profit. The centre was operating in a limited capacity beyond June 2021.