To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many disused military sites have been acquired and converted into category (a) A, (b) B, (c) C and (d) D prisons in each of the last 30 years. (278638)

A total of 39 new prisons, including the prison ship the Weare which has since closed, have opened since 1979.

A number of these were built on sites either directly acquired from the Ministry of Defence (MOD), or acquired from a third partly but which previously belonged to the MOD.

A detailed investigation of the site records is necessary to determine their precise origin. I will write to the hon. and learned Member as soon as this investigation is complete.