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Bail Accommodation and Support Service

Volume 503: debated on Monday 11 January 2010

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what plans he has to review the bail accommodation contract with ClearSprings; (308171)

(2) how many complaints have been received about ClearSprings from (a) the public, (b) probation services and (c) local authorities since June 2007.

My right hon. Friend, the then Minister of State for Justice (David Hanson), made a written statement to the House on 13 May 2009, Official Report, column 54WS, announcing that the Government intend to re-tender the contract for Bail Accommodation and Support Service (BASS) on the expiry of the current contract on 17 June 2010. A new contract is scheduled to be awarded at the beginning of February 2010.

I am unable to provide information about the number of complaints about ClearSprings as this could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Ministry of Justice has received a substantial volume of correspondence about the BASS and it would require checking each item of correspondence separately at both local and national level to determine whether it was a complaint.