Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) Category A, (b) Category B, (c) Category C and (d) Category D prison spaces her Department plans to build by 2031 as part of the Prison Capacity Strategy.

The prison population has nearly doubled in the past three decades, with just 500 extra prison places added in the last 14 years. To put an end to this crisis, the Government confirmed plans to invest £4.7 billion more in prison building, putting the Government on track to open 14,000 places by 2031. This is the largest prison expansion programme since the Victorians. Since July 2024, 2,400 places have already been opened.

As set out in the 10-Year Prison Capacity Strategy, we are committed to delivering the remaining 14,000 places of the 20,000 prison place programmes and aim to do so by 2031. Around 8,500 of these places have been delivered through three new Category C prisons, hundreds of rapid deployment cells, essential refurbishments and modern houseblocks.

We plan to deliver three more new prisons; these include a new prison in Leicestershire which will add c.1,700 places to the Category B estate, a new prison in Buckinghamshire that will add c.1,500 places to the Category C estate and a new prison in Lancashire that will add c.1,700 places to the Category C estate.

We also plan to deliver additional places through the expansion and refurbishment of the existing estate and temporary accommodation. These places will add c.1,750 places to the Category B estate, c.4,200 places to the Category C estate, c.1,550 places to the Category D estate.