Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason his Department did not consult the Public and Commercial Services Union on an in-house bid for the Ministry of Justice shared services contract.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is entering into detailed discussions with Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL) regarding the future delivery of their back office serviceswith the intention of awarding a contract in August 2014.

Prior to entering these detailed discussions with SSCL, all options were fully evaluated. A business case was developed to evaluate both Independent Shared Service Centre (ISSC) options as well as the option for back office to remain a standalone organisation.

Detailed information was put together on the in-house option, which reflected our existing organisation and also any known plans for the coming years, including those for growth in our customer numbers. This information was prepared in parallel with the proposals from the two ISSC framework providers. The costs and benefits of all three options between now and 2021/22 were assessed and this informed the business case, which was approved by the MoJ Departmental Board.

The MoJ has been meeting regularly with trade union representatives since we started considering the options in December 2013 prior to any decisions being made and also prior to taking the outcome of the evaluation to the MoJ Departmental Board. Trade Union representation includes representatives from Public and Commercial Services (PCS).

Once we knew the decision had been taken to enter into detailed discussions with Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL). We informed trade union representatives. Formal consultation is now taking place about the transfer of MoJ staff to SSCL under TUPE. We have been working with these staff and keeping them informed of developments. This will continue throughout the transition process.

SSCL recognise our existing unions, including PCS, and will continue to consult with them after the staff transfer has taken place.