Written question asked by Lord Jones (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Bach (Labour) on Monday, 29 June 2009.

Prisons: HMP Caernarvon

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many jobs they forecast the building of the new prison in Caernarvon will create in the construction and related industries.

Answer: Proceeding with prison development on the Caernarfon site depends on the outcome of ongoing negotiations with the owner, confirmation that contamination on the site will not impede a prison development, and a successful application for outline planning permission. No final decisions have been made on the size of the prison or the operational date. However, it is envisaged that the site could be developed to provide between 600 and 900 prison places. The precise numbers of jobs created through construction and operation vary from prison to prison according to the size and type of prison. Previous studies have shown that a prison of 800 places will, on average, generate an income of over £7 million per year in the local economy and provide around 400 full time jobs in operation, 250 from within the local area.

Secondary information