HC Deb 18 January 1999 vol 323 c340W
Mr. Oaten

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what resources he plans to make available to prisons to deal with the implications of his proposals for tougher sentences for burglars. [65802]

Mr. Boateng

The latest long-term projections for the Prison Service are lower than had previously been the case. I therefore, expect the Prison Service to be able to accommodate the extra places within existing provision at least for the next three years.

Mr. Oaten

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimates his Department has made of the impact on prison numbers of his proposed tougher sentences for burglars. [65803]

Mr. Boateng

The Home Office estimates that minimum sentences of three years for those convicted for a third time of domestic burglar will add between 4,000 and 4,400 to the prison population over 10 years. The build up will be gradual because the new provision applies only when all the offences are committed after implementation (in December 1999) and one of the two previous offences was committed after the offender had been convicted of the other.