Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what requirements his Department plans to place on the design and building of new prisons relating to the number of occupants in each room.

As set out in the 2016 Prison Safety Reform White Paper and 2017 manifesto, we remain committed to building up to 10,000 modern and decent prison places to replace old, expensive and unsuitable accommodation. We intend to build the first prison at Wellingborough through public capital, with construction work expected to begin late 2018 / early 2019 with completion projected for early 2021.

The Department awarded to Kier Construction Limited a two-stage contract to design and construct the prison at Wellingborough on 19 February 2018. Negotiations are underway with the constructor on delivery of the cost of the new prison and this is also subject to the usual value for money assessments. The prison has been designed to provide largely single cell accommodation.