PAC takes hard line on prison supplies

18 Sep 03
Service's 128 directly managed prisons in England and Wales spent £461m on essential supplies, while Prison Service headquarters spent a further £491m on central projects and services, such as construction and IT.

19 September 2003

The procurement of prison supplies is inefficient and hindered by inadequate IT systems, according to the Commons' Public Accounts Committee.

PAC chair Edward Leigh said the Prison Service needed to encourage managers to make efficiency gains. A report published by the committee this week found that procurement of goods and services such as prisoners' food and clothing was patchy and expensive to administer.

In 2001/02, the Prison Service's 128 directly managed prisons in England and Wales spent £461m on essential supplies, while Prison Service headquarters spent a further £491m on central projects and services, such as construction and IT.

The committee said that by cutting stock levels to three-month supplies, the service could save £12m, while rationalising procurement and making better use of central stores would free further resources.

Leigh said: 'I find it pretty dissatisfactory that progress has been patchy, with procurement still fragmented and costly to deliver. The service must find a way to properly incentivise prison managers.'

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