The Government have still not decided how a proposed prison in Wrexham will be run – despite work being supposed to start on the project in a matter of months.
Wrexham MP Ian Lucas has called for the prison to be run in the public sector, and has raised the issue with Ministers in the House of Commons repeatedly over recent months.
In the most recent exchange with Ministers, yesterday, Prisons Minister Jeremy Wright told Mr Lucas: “In relation to Wrexham, we have quite properly said that there is an initial decision to be made, which is whether a large new prison should be built at Wrexham.
“As the hon. Gentleman knows, we were asked to build it on that site by his own council and a large number of other members of the Labour party in north Wales. The decision to be taken now is who should build it; we will make a decision about who should run it in due course.”
Now, Mr Lucas has also revealed he has written to Mr Wright about concerns about the private sector’s running of prisons, including HMP Oakwood, managed by G4S, where reports have revealed a range of problems.
In the letter, Mr Lucas states: “I do of course, accept that an investment of £250 million in a Public Sector project in Wrexham is welcome. At a time when we have had a number of private sector job losses, investment in the local economy is helpful for both the construction sector and, in the longer term, and for service businesses in the locality too.
“However, you will be aware of the reports on the `Today’ programme concerning HM Prison Oakwood, and the longer Radio 4 programme on Oakwood, which have received a great deal of attention and which I have raised in the House on the 23rd of January 2014.
“I do not want similar reports about Wrexham in 2017.”
Mr Lucas also called on Ministers to make clear how they expect the prison will be run.
Speaking yesterday, he said:
“At the moment it seems that building will get underway later this year on the prison, with the Government saying they have not decided how it is going to be run.
“That seems absurd.
“A major infrastructure project like this – welcome as it is for our local economy – requires clarity about its future.”
