§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average current cost per place of prison building.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggSeven new prisons are under construction, with others at varying stages of design and planning. These seven new prisons will provide some 4,042 new places at a total estimated cost, including resource and development costs, of £353.5 million at current prices. This produces an overall average cost per place of approximately £87,500. The actual costs vary according to the size, design, location, use of the prison and facilities which need to be included in a normal community, for example, workshops, hospitals and gymnasia.