To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 1 June 2009, Official Report, columns 80-81W, on prison accommodation, if he will publish (a) the original list of sites provided by the Ministry of Defence in 2006, (b) the refined list produced by the National Offender Management Service and (c) a list of the sites which were subsequently visited and assessed in further detail. (278255)

The following shows the list of sites included on the Ministry of Defence (MOD) disposal list, issued in March 2006¹. A number of options relating to sites under consideration for disposal by the MOD but not included on the disposals lists were also discussed.

A short list of former military sites with potential for prison development was subsequently identified. This included 18 sites on the March 2006 MOD disposal list, indicated in the table, as well as Chelsea Barracks, RAF West Drayton, Rowcroft Barracks and RAF Coltishall.

DCSA Inskip, Preston²

RAF Church Fenton, Tadcaster²

Uniter Rawcliffe, Goole

ATE Caerwent

Croughton highway land, Brackley

RAF Stoke Holy Cross, Poringland

RAF Syerston²

RAF Watton²

TAC Worcester²

RAF Kinloss

Peterhead SFA

Vauxhall Barracks, Didcot²

Upnor Bridging Hard, Frindsbury

Kent Volunteer Estate, Maidstone

Wandsworth Volunteer Estate, Balham

Cambridge Military Hospital, Aldershot

Aldershot Garrison²

Browning Barracks, Aldershot

Normandy Barracks Montgomery Lines, Aldershot

Invicta Park Barracks, Maidstone

RAF High Wycombe²

Parsons Barracks, Aldershot

Thornhill Barracks, Aldershot

Ordnance Barracks, Aldershot

HMS Daedalus, Gosport and Fareham²

RNMT Portsmouth

DMC Plymouth

HMS Nelson, Portsmouth

DMC Bullpoint, Plymouth

Commando Training Centre, Honiton

Bovington Camp, Wareham

RAF Lyneham

Wyke Regis Training Area, Weymouth

GPSS Goostrey, Holmes Chapel

Anzio Barracks, Leek²

HMS Forest Moor, Harrogate²

RAF Boulmer

RAE Llanbedr

RAF West Raynham²

DPA Seismic Stations, Norfolk

RAF Newton²

Arbroath SFA

Cultybraggan Trg Camp, Crieff

Rathfriland

Killymeal Hse, Dungannon

Aughnacloy

Clogher

Kinmel Park, Kinmel

RAF Neatishead

Dreghorn Bks, Edinburgh

RAF Alconbury²

Lisnaskea

Shetland Islands SFA, Haroldswick

RAF Halton, Wendover²

RAF Brize Norton, Bicester²

DMC Dean Hill, West Dean²

DLO Pixash Lane, Bristol

Wainscott Barracks

Drummond Barracks, Ludgershall

RNAD Broughton Moor

DERA Eskmeals, Millom

Eskmeals, Millom

Hillside Crescent, Ashton under Lyne

RAF Tuddenham

Aberdeen SFA

Forres SFA

Kinloss SFA

Lossiemouth SFA

DE West Freugh, Portpatrick

Helensburgh SFA, Rhu

HMNB Clyde, Rosneath

DE Farnborough, Aldershot

Rochester

RAF Fire Service Central Training Establishment, Ramsgate

Seaton Barracks, Plymouth

GPSS Swanvale, Falmouth

RAF St. Mawgan, Newquay

Ashchurch SFA, Tewkesbury

Salisbury SFA, Wilton

DE Durrington, Salisbury

Devizes SFA

RAF Chilmark, Salisbury²

DE Durrington, Salisbury

¹ Where more than one site within an establishment is listed for disposal, only the establishment is shown

² Sites assessed as potential for prison development

A number of former military sites were visited by the National Offender Management Service officials since 2006 to assess further their potential for prison development. These are listed as follows and include Rousillon Barracks, previously used for prison use, and Connaught Barracks.

RAF Alconbury;

Aldershot Garrison;

Anzio Barracks;

RAF Coltishall;

Connaught Barracks;

Rousillon Barracks.

A proposal to convert Connaught Barracks to a prison was considered but a decision was taken not to proceed.

In response to Lord Carter’s report, “Securing the Future: Proposals for the Efficient and Sustainable Use of Custody in England and Wales”, in January 2008 Ministers agreed to the acquisition of the former RAF Coltishall site in Norfolk for conversion to a prison.

With the exception of Coltishall, there are no current plans to build new prisons on any of these former military sites.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cells are not in use in each (a) prison for adult males, (b) prison for adult females, (c) young offender institution for males and (d) young offender institution for females; and for what reasons the cells are not in use in each such institution. (278394)

From the current data available there are 1,729 places recorded as out of use from the total certified normal accommodation (CNA) of the prison estate. This represents 2.3 per cent. of the total CNA.

The data available do not allow for a breakdown of whether these places are for young offenders or adults.

Comprehensive information on why these places are out of use is not held centrally, however the majority of out of use accommodation will be due to maintenance or refurbishment work taking place.

There is a planned programme of refurbishment of accommodation which requires the temporary closure of prison places. This allows the critical maintenance of the estate to be undertaken while having no significant change on the number of net places in use, e.g. 127 places are currently out of use at HMP Swaleside to enable essential electrical re-wiring of one wing to take place.

The following tables show the total number of places that were recorded as out of use by male and female establishments.

HMP Ashwell has 415 places out of use following an incident in April. HMP Wealstun has 380 places out of use while part of the establishment is re-rolled to closed conditions.