§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison places were available at 1 November; and if he will make a statement. [7906]
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility 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 A. J. Pearson to Mr. Elfyn Llwyd, dated 13 December 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General, to reply to your recent Question about the number of prison places available at 1 November.On 31 October 1996, the closest date to the 1 November for which figures are available, the total In-Use Certified Normal Accommodation (CNA) was 53,500, and the total Baseline CNA was 56,835. The Operational Capacity at 31 October 1996 was 58,977, and the Population was 57,587.In-Use CNA represents the total number of uncrowded places estimated to be available in the estate. Baseline CNA is the total number of uncrowded places, including those which are out of use due to refurbishment. Operational Capacity is the number of prisoners the estate can hold without serious risk to good order, security and the proper running of regimes, and which allows for overcrowding.