Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 26918 on Prisons: Construction, what estimate he has made of the total operating capacity of prisons following the end of (a) the £2.3 billion for prison builds over the next two years, (b) 2031 and (c) 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy.

On 11 December 2024, the Secretary of State published the 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy, alongside the Annual Statement regarding prison capacity. In the 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy, this Government has signalled plans to invest up to £2.3 billion in prison expansion in 2024-25 and 2025-26, including HMP Millsike that will deliver c.1,500 places.

Delivering c.6,500 new prison places, is only one part of our wider aim to build 14,000 prison places by 2031, with all places expected to be operational by 2032. We will also be expanding the current prison estate, adding around 6,400 prison places through houseblocks at existing sites, whilst also refurbishing residential units, facilities and ancillaries across the estate, alongside around 1,000 more Rapid Deployment Cells.

Our strategy also sets out the need to change the way that we expand the prison estate by aiming to buy new land for prison development and introduce planning legislation to build prisons faster.

The detailed information on projections for supply of new prison places can be found in the strategy and Annual Statement.