Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of prison places.

We have a significant prison build programme, delivering safe, secure and modern prison places across the country. More than 3,100 places have already been delivered.

As part of this, we are building brand new prisons with a design focused on security and rehabilitation, supporting family ties and resettlement into the community. These include HMP Five Wells which opened earlier this year and was the first of its design to be built; HMP Fosse Way near Leicester which is due to open next year; and a new prison next to the existing HMP Full Sutton where construction has started, and the prison is due to open in 2025.