§ Dr. PalmerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the resources available to the Prison Service. [29957]
§ Mr. StrawFollowing the Audit of Prison Service Resources last summer, I made available to the Prison Service additional funding of £43m over two years to increase capacity and regime activity. In the event, the Service has done well in containing costs and has not had to call on the extra provision for 1997–98.
I am now making available £112m in 1998–99 on top of the existing budget of £ 1,704m.
This will be used to fund continued use of Her Majesty's Prison Weare, to build six more houseblocks, to fund conversion of accommodation to cell usage to hold extra prisoners in new prisons and to carry out 403W repairs on the prison estate. It provides additional staffing and funding for regime activities, to keep prisoners constructively occupied.
With this money, this Government have provided for 1,540 new places in prisons and have supported the placing of an additional 2,280 prisoners in existing accommodation.