Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the contracts for work under the Transforming Rehabilitation programme will (a) be signed and (b) become operational.

At the end of June we received bids in the competition for the contracts to run the 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies. We have a strong competition in all regions with over 80 bids having been received and an average of four bidders for each area. Over half of the bidders include a voluntary, mutual or social enterprise organisation and mutuals continue to feature strongly, with eight potential staff mutuals competing for a share of the contracts. As well as the Tier 1 provider bids, almost 1000 organisations have registered to play a part in the wider supply chain, including more than 700 listed as VCSE (voluntary, community or social enterprise) organisations.

In addition to this, charities experienced in tackling a range of issues affecting offenders, small and large businesses and experienced multinationals have partnered together to bid for the work that will help turn offenders’ lives around. All Tier 1 bidders have experience of working with offenders or across the wider Criminal Justice System.

The process to award Community Rehabilitation Company contracts is ongoing and the details of which bidders remain in the competition are commercially sensitive information, which it would not be right to make public at this stage. We are committed to rolling out these important reforms by 2015.