HC Deb 07 November 2002 vol 392 c853W
Dr. Francis

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to build a women's prison in Wales. [78684]

Hilary Benn

The Prison Service currently has no plans to build a prison for women in Wales. The Prison Service view is that new prison development should primarily be concentrated in areas of the greatest shortage of places. Currently these are the north west, the Midlands and London.

The number of women prisoners from Wales, currently around 170, does not justify the building of a female prison. However the Prison Service is well aware of the geographical difficulties being posed for some small sections of the prison population, and their needs would certainly be a consideration in any future plans for the development of the prison estate.