Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by David TC Davies (Conservative). It was answered on Wednesday, 21 May 2008 on behalf of the Wales Office.

Offender Management

Question: Prison capacity may be increasing, but the Minister is surely aware that the present chronic lack of spaces has led to dangerous prisoners' being taken out of closed prisons and put into the camp at Prescoed, from which they immediately escape. Will he undertake to return to the Justice Minister and demand that enough spaces are built in the closed estate to ensure that people living near open prisons such as Prescoed can sleep safely in their beds at night?

Answer: We have provided an extra £1.2 billion to deliver a further and extended building programme that will create 15,000 places in England and Wales by 2014, 330 of which will be at Parc prison. As for the use of open prisons, public protection is the top priority. All prisoners in open prisons have been risk-assessed rigorously, and are in the final stage of their sentences. Moreover, the number of absconds from open prisons is at its lowest for a decade.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 476 c308, (corrigendum) c754;476 c308
Session: 2007-08
Oral question type: 1st Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Notes: Daily part printing error - Answering Minister originally given as Mr. David Hanson.
Subjects: Offenders Prisons Overcrowding Wales Open prisons Departmental coordination
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk