Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they expect their planned provision of up to 10,000 new prison places to increase the prison population; and if so, to what extent.

The provision of 10,000 new prison places is planned on a ‘new for old’ basis, whereby places in a poor condition are closed against new places opened. As such, it is not expected that this programme will have an impact on the prison population.