Prisons: Operating Costs

Chris Huhne
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the estimated capital cost is of building each of the 1,500 place prisons his Department has proposed as an alternative to Titan prisons.

Mr. Straw
It is estimated that the capital cost of constructing five 1,500 place prisons at 2008-09 prices is around £1.2 billion, excluding VAT and site purchase costs.