Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's announcement, Major new prison reform programme unveiled, published on 9 November 2015, what the timeframe is for each prison to open; and the number of prisons for which (a) work has begun (b) contracts been signed and (c) a decision on the finance mechanism has been made.

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. We intend to build the second prison at Glen Parva using private finance.

We will explore funding routes, including private finance, for the delivery of the remaining prison places. The financing models, timetable and costs for these will be dependent on the relevant value for money and affordability tests, planning permissions and commercial negotiations. The government remains committed to the delivery of these places, which will enable governors to achieve better educational, training and rehabilitative outcomes.