(Lab):...It is seven
years since this policy began its gestation and 16 months since
the announcement that the oligopolist G4S—an organisation
presumed by the Government to be able to conduct all kinds of
services across the system of government in this country—had been
awarded a £25 million contract, notwithstanding the fact that it
was then under investigation for fraud and that a National Audit
Office report criticising the prolonged delay in implementing a
policy of satellite tracking for offenders was soon to be
published. A ban on G4S was imposed in 2013 after allegations of
overcharging on contracts for the electrical monitoring of
offenders, although the ban was lifted in 2014 on the basis that
G4S had paid £109 million and Serco, another familiar scion of
private enterprise, paid £70 million.
Labour’s shadow Lord Chancellor, , has referred to G4S as
having billed the Government,
“for tagging thousands of ‘phantom offenders’ – including those
who were dead or in jail”,
and to,
“serious delays in informing the authorities that over 100
prisoners had been fitted with faulty electronic tags”.
In addition, Capita and two smaller firms became involved,
although one withdrew after six months and another after 16
months, following incremental delays in the programme. Can the
Minister explain how these failures in contracting occurred, and
what steps have been taken to improve the department’s
commissioning practice?
G4S purports to be able to provide public services across a broad
range, including health, prisons and probation, but in January
the Public Accounts Committee published a damning report,
pointing out that a scheme due to be completed in 2013 was
running five years late at a cost of £60 million to the taxpayer,
with an additional irrecoverable loss of £9 million. What is
more, the new tags are apparently expected to be available early
next year. Can the Minister update us on progress, including both
the starting and the completion dates for this project?
(Con):...I take the point made by the noble Lord,
, about G4S. I will write to him and set out
what happened with G4S in the past, but I reassure him
that we have run a fully compliant, open and competitive bidding
process for all service providers. There is no scope to exclude
bidders within this system, even if they are subject to an
ongoing investigation. I recognise the noble Lord’s concerns. We
are obviously keeping things under a careful, watchful eye, but
we are pleased with the service providers we have...
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