Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Oral Statement of 16 October 2023 on Prison Capacity, Official Report, columns 59-60, what steps has he taken to acquire new land for potential prison sites.

The Department has taken a number of steps to identify land for potential prison sites. We have commissioned a property agent to search the market for land in the north west and south east, our areas of greatest demand for prison places; officials have started discussions with significant private and public sector landowners and have begun to assess a shortlist of sites for planning risk and strategic and operational fit. In parallel, officials have started strategic conversations with local and regional leaders to identify areas where communities would welcome the economic and employment benefits of a new prison.