Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what contracts his Department holds with private contractors to provide transport for prisoner transfers between prisons.
Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS) contracts are delivered by GEOAmey and Serco and cover a range of services, including secure prisoner transportation between prisons, police stations and other named places of detention and courts, and transportation of prisoners between prison establishments. The contract also includes custodial services and dock escorts in courts. There is no legal or business requirement to collate the cost of individual journeys, but the annual value of these contracts is approximately £139million.
Information relating to parts b) and c) of 6475 is not collected centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Private providers continue to play an important role in the prison estate. Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service will continue to closely monitor the performance of all providers and we will not hesitate to take action where standards fall short.