§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of prisons(a) currently under construction and (b) being planned indicating when they will be completed, how much each will cost, and how many inmates they will take; and if he will make a statement. [1579]
§ Ms Joyce QuinThree new prisons are currently being built under the Private Finance Initiative.
Her Majesty's Prison Altcourse will be a 600 place prison. It is planned that its first prisoner will be received on 1 December 1997. Its Net Present Value (NPV) is £247 million. The NPV covers the costs of construction, finance and operation in terms of fees over the lifetime of the contract.
Her Majesty's Prison Parc will be an 800 place prison. It is planned that its first prisoner will be received on 17 November 1997. Its NPV is £266 million.
Her Majesty's Prison Lowdham Grange will be a 500 place prison. It is planned that its first prisoner will be received on 16 February 1998. Its NPV is £130 million.
The Prison Service plans to provide a further 2,400 places at new prisons over the next three years. Planning approval has been given to re-build Her Majesty's Prison Pucklechurch, near Bristol, as a 400 place prison for males under 21 years old. Plans to build an 800 place prison at Agecroft in Salford are subject to the outcome of a planning inquiry, expected shortly. The remaining 1,200 places will be provided by two more prisons once suitable sites have been agreed.