To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2007, Official Report, column 1148W, on prisons, how many prison places have been provided (a) under the private finance initiative, (b) via other sources of funding and (c) in response to prison overcrowding. (141576)

Under the private finance initiative (PFI) the number of prison places provided (i.e. delivered) under this administration is 5,397, of which 894 places were contracted under the previous administration but delivered by this one.

Between the end of April 1997 and the end April 2007 a further 13,126 places have been provided through funding other than PFI. This includes a number of places in public sector managed prisons whose contract to build new accommodation will have been signed before 1 May 1997. It is not possible to identify those additional places associated with those contracts.

All this additional operational capacity has been provided as a response to increasing population pressures.