Question
8. What steps his Department is taking to increase the capacity of the prison estate.
Answer
As my hon. Friend knows, we inherited a crumbling prison estate that was close to breaking point, with only 100 places remaining. The previous Government were just days away from reaching capacity, which is why we are working at pace to deliver an additional 14,000 prison places by 2031; we have already delivered 3,300. That stands in marked contrast to the 500 net places that the Conservative Government managed to add during 14 years in office.50% point-scoring
Verdict: GREEN (88/100)
The reply answers the question directly. It sets out the government's programme to add prison capacity, commits to delivering 14,000 additional places by 2031, and reports that 3,300 have already been delivered. Some of the surrounding wording is political comment on the inherited prison estate and the previous government's record, but the concrete figures and timescale are clear enough for the person who asked to act on them.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the Department doing to increase the capacity of the prison estate? | Addressed | Direct | The reply directly describes the programme to add capacity, committing to deliver an additional 14,000 prison places by 2031 and reporting that 3,300 have already been delivered, which is the concrete information the question asks for. The surrounding point-scoring about the inherited estate and the previous government's record does not undermine this substantive answer. |