Written question asked by Lord Burnett (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 23 January 1998, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 4 February 1998. It was answered by Baroness Quin (Labour) on Wednesday, 4 February 1998 on behalf of the Home Office.

Home Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what extra prison provision his Department estimates will be necessary to accommodate prisoners in custody for (a) 1998-99, (b) 1999-2000, and (c) 2001-02.

Answer: Mr. Burnett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what extra prison provision his Department estimates will be necessary to accommodate prisoners in custody for (a) 1998-99, (b) 1999-2000, and (c) 2001-02. [25989] Ms Quin: To accommodate the prison population, which is continuing to rise and is projected to rise further, the Prison Service will now be allocated further resources in 1998-99 to avoid a shortage of accommodation. This will be used to fund: the continued use of the prison ship, Her Majesty's Prison Weare; the building of more houseblocks and ready to use units; small place creation schemes; extra places for prisoners to be held in new prisons; and repairs on the existing prison estate. The issue as to how the Service shall cope with the population pressures in 2001 and beyond is under discussion as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Secondary information