§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the(a) uncrowded capacity and 1233W (b) maximum capacity of prisons in England and Wales were in each year between 1995 and 2002; and if he will make a statement; [99621]
(2) what estimate he has made of the likely (a) uncrowded capacity and (b) maximum capacity of prisons in England and Wales between 2003 and 2006; [99622]
(3) what forecasts he has made of changes to the total (a) operational capacity and (b) population of prisons in England and Wales in the period 2003–06. [99608]
§ Hilary BennThe information requested is shown in the following table. The terms "maximum capacity" and "uncrowded capacity" are understood as being the useable operational capacity and in-use certified normal accommodation (CNA) respectively. The projections given from 2003 onwards are used for planning purposes. As part of the Review of Correctional Services, the Government is looking to develop a longterm strategy to manage population pressures.
Currently planned average in-use CAN Currently planned average useable operational capacity Forecast average population 2006 69,500 77,500 91,200 2005 69,000 77,000 87,200 2004 67,000 75,000 81,300 2003 66,000 74,000 74,100 2002 64,200 71,500 70,800 2001 63,500 69,400 66,300 2000 63,400 69,000 64,600 1999 62,400 68,100 64,800 1998 61,300 67,800 65,300 1997 56,300 61,800 61,100 1996 53,200 56,500 55,300 1995 50,200 54,200 51,000 Notes:
1. Population figures exclude the numbers of prisoners held in police cells during that year. The figures are based on data for the last day of each month.
2. In-use CNA: the uncrowded capacity of the estate after adjusting for accommodation out of use.
3. The projected population figures are taken from the Home Office statistical bulletin published on 9 December 2002. A copy of the bulletin has been placed in the Library.
4. Usable operational capacity: the measure used for long-term estate planning purposes. The maximum number of prisoners that the estate could normally hold is up to 2,000 less than the total certified operational capacity.