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Home Office;Prison Service

Answer

Sir Ivan Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes have taken place to the Prison Service agency's month by month forecast of planned (a) in-use certified normal accommodation and (b) operational capacity for 12 months ahead, as it existed in October 1996; and to what extent each such change has been due to (i) cancellations or delays of projects because of difficulties in obtaining planning consents and (ii) other reasons, indicating the reasons in each case. [15509] Miss Widdecombe: [holding answer 17 February 1997]: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from Richard Tilt to Sir Ivan Lawrence dated 18 February 1997: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question concerning what changes have taken place to the Prison Service Agency's month by month forecast of planned (a) in-use certified normal accommodation (b) operational capacity for 12 months ahead, as it existed in October 1996; and to what extent each such change has been due to (i) cancellations or delays of projects because of difficulties in obtaining planning consents and (ii) other reasons, indicating the reasons in each case. The Prison Service building and refurbishment programme at existing prisons is running to plan and not being held up by planning delays. We are also looking for sites for temporary prisons to provide about 800 places as a short term measure. Our preferred option was to use RAF Finningley, near Doncaster. A notice of the proposed development was lodged with Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council but the council has objected to the proposal. I am therefore looking at other possible options. The Prison Service took possession of a floating prison, which is currently berthed in New York, on 31 January 1997. An application for planning consent was considered by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council on 6 February. The council rejected the application which has now been referred to the Secretary of State for the Environment and it is hoped that a decision will be reached by mid-March. A proposed development for a former leisure facility at Heysham, was submitted on 20 December 1996 under Environment Circular Instruction 18/84, for a change of use to a prison. The planning application has yet to be determined.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

15509; 290 c527-8W

Session

1996-97

Subjects

Planning permission Prison accommodation