§ Mr. GunnellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the total numbers of prison places in England and Wales on(a) 1 June 1979, (b) 1 June 1983, (c) 1 June 1987 and (d) 1 April 1992 and on the latest date for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Peter LloydResponsibility 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 Ian Dunbar to Mr. John Gunnell, dated 23 March 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about the number of prison places in England and Wales.The readily available information on prison places before September 1990 was collected on the last day of each month. The table gives the certified normal accommodation (CNA), that is uncrowded capacity, for the days preceding those requested and for Tuesday 22 March 1994.
Date CNA 31 May 1979 37,890 31 May 1983 38,775 31 May 1987 41,688 31 March 1992 45,469 22 March 1994 47,463