Written question asked by Sadiq Khan (Labour) on Friday, 7 October 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 11 October 2011. It was answered by Crispin Blunt (Conservative) on Thursday, 13 October 2011 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Operation Safeguard

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many (a) cells in police stations and (b) cells in courts are available for use under Operation Safeguard;

Answer: There is no fixed limit on the number of police or court cells that could be used to hold prisoners, as the number that can be made available at any one time depends on the occupancy levels required to deliver their primary function. If these places are required the number that will be made available will be determined jointly by NOMS and ACPO for police cells, or NOMS and HMCTS for court cells.The maximum cost per night of a police cell used under operation safeguard is £400, although the actual price charged will normally be less. The pricing structure for police cells is set out in the Safeguard National Framework Agreement.The pricing of court cell contingencies is determined by commercial contracts with a number of private sector organisations. Because of the confidential nature of these contracts it would not be appropriate to publicly release these costs.

Secondary information