Courts: Per Capita Costs

Paul Holmes
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost per prisoner per night of housing a prisoner in a court cell was in each of the last 12 months.

Mr. Straw
NOMS paid contractors standby and activation costs to staff court cells in eight courts in England and Wales in February 2008 only. The average payment to contractors was £158 per night for each court cell that was available for use. The cost does not include marginal costs such as medical care or utilities and cannot be broken down by month.