To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has approached the Scottish Executive for assistance in relieving overcrowding in prisons in England and Wales. (117884)

Prisoners sentenced in England and Wales cannot, as a matter of course, be held in Scottish prisons due to the differing legal jurisdictions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has made an assessment of the effects of Operation Safeguard on front line policing. (120554)

The number of police cells made available under Operation Safeguard is at the discretion of Chief Constables who take their operational needs into account.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police cells have been taken over for use as part of Operation Safeguard; and on how many occasions each cell has been so used. (120555)

There are up to 400 places available in police cells in England and Wales under Operation Safeguard.

The number of prisoners held in police cells varies on a daily basis and is dependent on court activity and the management of regional prison population pressures.