§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what costs have been incurred by the Prison Service in respect of unoccupied prisoner places ordered from the managing contractor at Her Majesty's Prison Parc, Bridgend; when he expects the prison to be fully occupied; and if he will make a statement. [25048]
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§ Ms QuinHer Majesty's Prison Parc, Bridgend, opened with the provision of 50 available prisoner places on 17 November 1997, four weeks ahead of programme.
In the first four weeks of operation, the prisoner population at Parc increased in line with the contractual programme of 50 per week. During the four-week period commencing 15 December 1997, the number of prisoners sent to Parc by the courts dropped significantly as a result of the usual seasonal downturn over the Christmas/new year period, which resulted in an overall fall of about 2,400 in the number of prisoners held in England and Wales. Some prisoners were transferred to Parc from Cardiff and Swansea prisons but, because overcrowding had reduced nationally, it was decided on operational grounds not to disrupt prisoners by transferring them over long distances during December to prisons where there were vacancies or where population pressures were much lower, such as Her Majesty's Prison Parc.
The prisoner population at Parc is now building up at a rate agreed between the Prison Service and the contractor, and full occupancy of 800 places is expected to be achieved no later than the week commencing 23 March 1998.
The cost to the Prison Service of unused places at Parc, from opening date to 21 January 1998 inclusive, is £368,000.