Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners are currently held in cells operating above certified normal accommodation; and what proportion of the adult male closed estate is operating above 100% of certified normal accommodation.

Crowding data is published regularly in HMPPS’s Annual Digest, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmpps-annual-digest-april-2024-to-march-2025.

The most recent data for the 12 months ending March 2025 shows:

• The crowding rate in prisons across England and Wales was 24.8%.

• Crowding levels have been around 25% since 2015.

• 21,616 prisoners were held in crowded conditions (i.e in accommodation above Certified Normal Accommodation).

• The adult male closed estate had a combined crowding rate of 28.7%.

We recognise that crowding can make it hard to deliver safe, stable regimes and places additional pressures on staff. This is why we continually monitor prison conditions and take places on and offline depending on safety, stability, staffing levels and maintenance needs. Alongside this, we are increasing capacity at record rates, we have already delivered c.3,100 prison places since taking office. Our landmark Sentencing Act will also pave the way for further reform of our prison system so we can create better conditions and outcomes for prisoners.