To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he is considering allowing individual prisons to procure goods and services other than through the national procurement system where it can be demonstrated that better value for money is achieved in so doing. (189091)

Acquisition of goods and services in the Prison Service is now undertaken by procurement professionals utilising the national procurement system as part of the process. This model has been introduced to improve value for money and allows decisions to purchase on a local basis where that makes sense. It has been designed to allow front line staff to concentrate on the core business of managing prisoners rather than being diverted by procurement activity. There are no proposals to change the current model.