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Written question asked by Richard Holden (Conservative) on Tuesday, 28 January 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 30 January 2025. It was answered by Nicholas Dakin (Labour) on Wednesday, 5 February 2025 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.


Prisons: Construction

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many new prison places were built between (a) May 1997-May 2010 and (b) May 2010 and July 2024.

Answer

Available records do not provide a complete breakdown of how many new prison places were built between May 1997 and May 2010. However, during this timeframe, the total operational capacity of the prison system increased from 61,927 to 89,757, a net increase of 27,830 places. This figure reflects the overall change in capacity, which includes newly built places. It also accounts for places removed from use across the period.

Between May 2010 and July 2024, the total operational capacity of the prison system increased from 89,757 to 90,212, a net increase of 455 places.

Our recently announced 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy outlines a target of 14,000 new prison places by 2031, supported by £2.3 billion in funding for prison builds over the next two years.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
26918
Session
2024-26
Related items
Prison Accommodation
Friday, 14 February 2025
Written questions
House of Commons
Prison Accommodation
Friday, 14 February 2025
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects
Construction Prisons
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk