§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many additional prison spaces he estimates will be needed beyond the summer of 2004; and what plans he has to build additional jails. [165187]
§ Paul GogginsThe Government expect to have around 79,500 places available by the end of 2005–06.
The reforms outlined in Reducing Crime Changing Lives aim to improve the management of offenders and reduce re-offending. As a result of these reforms, and other measures, it is intended that the prison population should remain at a figure of less than 80,000 by 2009.
Two new private sector prisons providing 1,290 places are currently under construction and due to open at Ashford (near Heathrow) and Peterborough on 17 June 2004 and 28 March 2005 respectively.
We continue to investigate options for providing further increases in capacity over the coming years and as part of the Government's modernisation strategy. 108W This is based on a combination of expanding capacity in existing prisons and a programme to build new large multi-functional prisons.