Question to the Ministry of Justice:

What steps he is taking to reduce overcrowding in prisons.

Most of our prison estate is uncrowded. However we recognise crowding is an issue and in 2016-17 the average percentage of prisoners in crowded accommodation was 24.5%.

Our reforms will see us close down and redevelop ageing prisons and deliver high-quality, modern establishments fit for today's demands. Our new prison estate will have up to 10,000 modern prison places that create the physical conditions for Governors to achieve better educational, training and rehabilitation outcomes.

Reducing overcrowding is a central aim of the estate modernisation and the new prisons will be designed with this in firmly in mind.