§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many cells were vacant in dispersal prisons in England at the latest count and whether any of these could be used to relieve the pressure of remand prisoners on police station cells.
The Earl of Caithness: The total certified normal accommodation (CNA) of the dispersal prisons in England is 2,820 and their population on Friday 1st May was 2,704, an apparent number of vacancies of 116. Over half these places are not available because of refurbishment. The remainder provide the operational flexibility which is essential within this part of the prison system. There is therefore no scope for keeping remand prisoners in dispersal prisons. There would in any case be objections on both policy and practice grounds in mixing remand prisoners with the inmates of dispersal prisons.