Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has made on the future use or decommissioning of the temporary accommodation cells constructed in prisons in England and Wales to reduce overcrowding during the covid-19 outbreak.

The Government has invested in the temporary expansion of the prison estates as part of measures to implement cohorting; allowing staff to isolate prisoners with symptoms, shield the vulnerable and to quarantine new arrivals.

The total spend on acquisition costs along with installation and associated costs, in providing temporary accommodation cells in England and Wales as at the end of May 2020, totalled £4.25m (cash terms, inc. VAT). With no spend in March, £0.16m in April and £4.09m in May.

The use of, and expenditure on, this temporary accommodation is being kept under careful review and it will remain in place until it is no longer required.