Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the announcement of 23 January 2021 on Extra funding for organisations that steer women away from crime, how many of the 500 new prison places in women's prisons have been built to date; and which prisons they have been built in.

The expansion of the women’s prison estate to deliver new trauma-informed and gender specific facilities is still at a relatively early feasibility planning stage. The initial site list under consideration is: HMP Drake Hall, HMP Eastwood Park, HMP Foston Hall, HMP Send and HMP Styal. All proposed sites are existing women’s prisons. The exact numbers and mix of new open and closed facilities are being finalised. This is a huge opportunity to shift the landscape of the estate by creating more open places which are needed.