The Government is committed to ensuring equality throughout the criminal justice system. Internal complaints procedures and the employment

tribunal system enable any allegations of racial discrimination in the workplace to be thoroughly investigated.

The Ministry of Justice conducted a routine assurance audit of HMP Thameside in 2013.

Any internal document prepared by the contractor in relation to potential litigation is legally privileged and therefore exempt from disclosure.

I refer the right hon. Member to the response given to him on 28 February 2014, Official Report, columns 556-57W, for PQ 187896, PQ 187897, PQ 187898 and PQ 187894, which can be found in Hansard under the following link:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm140228/text/140228w0003.htm

Serco won the contract to deliver community payback in London because its bid offered the best value for the taxpayer, while providing continuity of service and performance. Serco manages almost 1,000 offenders per month and the contract to date has provided London with over a million hours of offender labour. It is performing above the national average on successful completion and enforcement of orders. At the point of transfer, 265 regularly-contracted staff were engaged in the delivery of community payback in London. In September 2013, 156 regularly-contracted staff were employed by Serco Group plc to deliver the community payback contract. This reduction reflects a significant fall not only in the overall number of sentences passed by the courts, but in particular in the number of community sentences.

The information requested could not be obtained within the timescale. I will write to the right hon. Member in due course.

The information requested could not be obtained within the timescale. I will write to the right hon. Member in due course.

The information requested could not be obtained within the timescale. I will write to the right hon. Member in due course.

Serco's contract to run Community Payback in London will conclude at the end of this year to ensure a consistent approach as we roll out our vital probation reforms. This contract has and will deliver cashable savings in the region of £11 million to end October 2014.

The expenditure year to date November 12 to November 13 = £11,792 million. In respect of the final contract year, taxpayers will not pay for services that are not delivered but the actual cost at the time of contract end is not yet known.

The terms of the contract termination are still subject to negotiation.

While the contract provides for termination events, on this occasion the negotiation is on the basis of a mutual agreement using early termination through a variation which will allow the authority to minimise any costs.

The terms of the contract termination are still subject to negotiation.

Serco's contract to run Community Payback in London will conclude at the end of this year to ensure a consistent approach as we roll out our vital probation reforms. This contract has and will deliver cashable savings in the region of £11 million to end October 2014.

The expenditure year to date November 12 to November 13 = £11,792 million. In respect of the final contract year, taxpayers will not pay for services that are not delivered but the actual cost at the time of contract end is not yet known.

The terms of the contract termination are still subject to negotiation.

While the contract provides for termination events, on this occasion the negotiation is on the basis of a mutual agreement using early termination through a variation which will allow the authority to minimise any costs.

The terms of the contract termination are still subject to negotiation.

Serco's contract to run Community Payback in London will conclude at the end of this year to ensure a consistent approach as we roll out our vital probation reforms. This contract has and will deliver cashable savings in the region of £11 million to end October 2014.

The expenditure year to date November 12 to November 13 = £11,792 million. In respect of the final contract year, taxpayers will not pay for services that are not delivered but the actual cost at the time of contract end is not yet known.

The terms of the contract termination are still subject to negotiation.

While the contract provides for termination events, on this occasion the negotiation is on the basis of a mutual agreement using early termination through a variation which will allow the authority to minimise any costs.

The terms of the contract termination are still subject to negotiation.

Serco's contract to run Community Payback in London will conclude at the end of this year to ensure a consistent approach as we roll out our vital probation reforms. This contract has and will deliver cashable savings in the region of £11 million to end October 2014.

The expenditure year to date November 12 to November 13 = £11,792 million. In respect of the final contract year, taxpayers will not pay for services that are not delivered but the actual cost at the time of contract end is not yet known.

The terms of the contract termination are still subject to negotiation.

While the contract provides for termination events, on this occasion the negotiation is on the basis of a mutual agreement using early termination through a variation which will allow the authority to minimise any costs.

The terms of the contract termination are still subject to negotiation.

I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 10 February 2014, Official Report, column 486W.

The Home Office does not make payment to Serco in respect of the transfer of immigration detainees between Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre and Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre.

The Home Office does have a contract with Tascor in respect of the transfer of immigration detainees between Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre and Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre this is based on a rate per mile the detail of which is commercially confidential.

I wrote to the right hon. Member on 17 January in reply to a similar question and placed a copy of my letter in the House Library.

The Ministry of Justice has not received any complaints about delivery of Community Payback in London by Serco. Data provided by Serco on complaints to the company itself indicate that during the period 31 October 2012 to 31 October 2013 the company received 69 complaints relating to Community Payback in London.

The contract with Serco Group plc commenced on 31 October 2012. It was agreed with the contractor at the start of the contract that the period up until 30 April 2013 would be a “bedding-in” period, after which formal assessment against targets would begin.

Serco is meeting key targets and out-performing the national average on a number of key measures. Key performance measures and outcomes during 2013-14 will be published at the year end, on a similar basis to that used in the Management Information Addendum to the National Offender Management Service Annual Report, once the data have been validated.

Serco were selected as the preferred bidder for the contract to run HMP Thameside in June 2009. The contract for the PFI prison was signed on 30 June 2010. The contract was amended on 18 December 2013 to deliver additional prisoner places. The contract duration is 26½ years from 30 June 2010. The original contract value was £417 million. The estimated additional cost for the additional places over the remaining life of the contract is £120 million.

We have announced plans to ensure a smooth transition from Serco and G4S to new suppliers on our electronic monitoring contracts. Other than

these transitional arrangements, the Ministry of Justice has not awarded any new contracts to G4S or Serco during the period in question.

The Secretary of State had previously been adamant that no further contracts would be awarded to Serco until it had received a clean bill of health from the Serious Fraud Office. Will he therefore explain why he awarded it a contract for the extension of Thameside prison on 20 December? When is a contract not a contract?

I can only assume that the hon. Gentleman was not in the House last June when I made the original statement about the electronic tagging situation and said that I had decided, in the interests of justice in this country, to proceed with two extensions at prisons run by the two organisations involved. I was completely clear about it, I explained why at the time and he clearly was not listening.