§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Knowsley, North (Mr. Howarth) of 17 March,Official Report, column 761, if he will list the prisons which his Department regards as significantly over the average level of overcrowding in all prisons. [18209]
§ Mr. Michael ForsythResponsibility 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 Derek Lewis to Mr. Jim Cunningham, dated 19 April 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about those prisons which are regarded as significantly over the average level of overcrowding in all prisons.197WOn 31 March 1995 the total population of the 133 prison establishments in England and Wales was 51,121. The total Certified Normal Accommodation in use at those establishments was 49,441. The percentage overcrowding in the prison estate as a whole was, therefore, 3%.Of those 133 establishments, 45 had a population in excess of their Certified Normal Accommodation in use. The average percentage by which the population of these 45 establishments exceeded their Certified Normal Accommodation in use was 22%. In 18 of these 45 establishments, the population exceeded the Certified Normal Accommodation in use by a percentage greater than 22%. These establishments are shown in the attached table.
Prison establishments with a population of more than 22 per cent. higher than their certified normal accommodation in use on
31 March 1995
Establishment Percentage overcrowding Birmingham 45 Brixton 23 Canterbury 49 Cardiff 48 Chelmsford 57 Dorchester 42 Durham 41 Exeter 53 Leeds 31 Leicester 80 Lincoln 42 Low Newton 40 Pentonville 31 Preston 39 Shepton Mallet 32 Shrewsbury 83 Stafford 48 Swansea 46
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what resources are available to deal with overcrowding in prison. [18217]
§ Mr. Michael ForsythResponsibility 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 Derek Lewis to Mr. Jim Cunningham, dated 19 April 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the resources available to deal with overcrowding in prisons.The majority of prisons are not overcrowded. Overcrowding is concentrated principally in some local prisons and remand centres. This is because of the need to hold unsentenced prisoners close to the courts.Our first priority is to ensure that existing accommodation is fully utilised. In addition, there is a substantial programme for the building of new accommodation. By the end of the decade, this will provide 6,400 new prison places through the building of new prisons and new houseblocks at existing prisons.
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria his Department uses to determine the funding given to prisons in the United Kingdom with particular reference to prison numbers and overcrowding. [18216]
§ Mr. Michael ForsythFunding for prisons in England and Wales takes account of the need to accommodate the projected prison population with minimum overcrowding in accordance with agreed standards and policies.
Funding for prisons in Scotland and in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the relevant Secretaries of State.
198W
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list(a) the official cell capacity and (b) the inmate prison population in each prison in England and Wales on 24 March. [17236]
§ Mr. Michael ForsythResponsibility 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 Derek Lewis to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 19 April 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the official cell capacity and the inmate population of each prison in England and Wales on 24 March 1995.The information is given in the attached table.199W
Establishment Certified normal accommodation in use Population Acklington 658 631 Albany 436 422 Aldington 127 122 Ashwell 404 385 Askham Grange 146 112 Aylesbury 230 224 Bedford 303 300 Belmarsh 792 589 Birmingham 567 828 Blakenhurst 649 653 Blantyre House 95 95 Blundeston 408 376 Brinsford 477 464 Bristol 464 483 Brixton 484 619 Brockhill 111 129 Buckley Hall 90 90 Bullingdon 644 631 Bullwood Hall 125 119 Camp Hill 378 421 Canterbury 184 274 Cardiff 321 476 Castington 300 283 Channings Wood 482 587 Chelmsford 251 393 Coldingley 292 292 Cookham Wood 120 140 Dartmoor 538 548 Deerbolt 417 393 Doncaster 771 768 Dorchester 147 209 Dover 316 287 Downview 287 288 Drake Hall 255 249 Durham 448 632 East Sutton Park 94 92 Elmley 637 624 Erlestoke 270 265 Everthorpe 318 249 Exeter 260 397 Featherstone 599 573 Feltham 844 847 Ford 536 445 Frankland 447 400 Full Sutton 567 555 Garth 512 507 Gartree 277 300 Glen Parva 767 789 Gloucester 202 243 Grendon 190 200 Guys Marsh 240 238 Hollesley Bay 365 354 Haslar 127 127 Hatfield 180 175 200W
Establishment Certified normal accommodation in use Population Haverigg 394 381 Hewell Grange 174 165 Highdown 629 617 Highpoint 679 642 Hindley 263 236 Holloway 517 531 Holme House 649 646 Hull 328 400 Huntercombe 240 231 Kingston 154 110 Kirkham 644 528 Kirklevington 86 80 Lancaster Farms 364 320 Lancaster 238 235 Latchmere House 151 137 Leeds 828 1,096 Leicester 192 354 Lewes 312 302 Leyhill 410 398 Lincoln 444 608 Lindholme 567 594 Littlehey 593 563 Liverpool 1,253 1,255 Long Lartin 362 354 Low Newton 198 263 Maidstone 494 473 Manchester 830 900 Moorland 620 592 Morton Hall 168 168 New Hall 169 200 North Sea Camp 201 205 Northallerton 150 194 Norwich 333 348 Nottingham 222 214 Onley 520 512 Oxford 106 114 Parkhurst 253 227 Pentonville 559 746 Portland 382 396 Preston 342 497 Pucklechurch 56 75 Ranby 347 334 Reading 182 164 Risley 794 764 Rochester 294 266 Rudgate 287 278 Send 113 134 Shepton Mallet 158 205 Shrewsbury 168 304 Spring Hill 210 206 Stafford 358 529 Standford Hill 384 375 Stocken 396 394 Stoke Heath 300 277 Styal 250 245 Sudbury/Foston 428 407 Swaleside 512 507 Swansea 151 205 Swinfen Hall 182 185 Thorn Cross 240 191 The Mount 484 470 The Verne 552 548 The Wolds 320 323 Thorp Arch 166 166 Usk/Prescoed 245 228 Wormwood Scrubs 714 804 Wakefield 727 713 Wandsworth 922 994 Wayland 580 554 Wellingborough 344 305 Werrington 114 110 Wetherby 160 135
Establishment Certified normal accommodation in use Population Whatton 216 213 Whitemoor 534 496 Winchester 261 350 Woodhill 566 520 Wymott 432 414 Total 49,314 51,112 Note:
Certified normal accommodation is the uncrowded capacity of an establishment.
Certified normal accommodation in use does not include those places which are not available for immediate use, for example, damaged cells, cells affected by building works and cells not being used because of a shortage of staff resources.