Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were placed in cells of three prisoners or more in each of the last three years.

Through the Government’s Prison Estate Transformation Programme we are getting the basics right by building decent prisons to improve rehabilitation and create safe and secure environments for staff and offenders. Our reforms will see us close down and redevelop ageing prisons and deliver up to 10,000 new places in high-quality, modern establishments fit for today’s demands. We will only transform our prisons into places of rehabilitation if we ensure that we address basic issues such as cleanliness, decency and safety. We keep the prison population and capacity under careful review to ensure that there is always sufficient capacity.

The table below identifies the number of prisoners, as at 30 June in each of the last three years, held in cells or living accommodation certified to hold three or more prisoners. This figure will include prisoners held in dormitories, cells and healthcare units that are certified on both a crowded or uncrowded basis to hold three or more prisoners.