To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to build additional young offenders' institutions within Greater London. [81977]

In 1998, the Prison Service acquired a site adjacent to Belmarsh prison in order to obtain planning permission to build another prison to serve the London area. It is the intention that the new prison should include a young offender institution function. Preliminary discussions have been held with the local planning authority, but a formal planning application has yet to be submitted.