During Justice Oral Questions in Parliament this week (2 February), High Peak MP Robert Largan urged the Rt Hon Robert Buckland QC MP, the Lord Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Justice, to ensure the prison system gets much-needed investment to deliver better results for local communities and the taxpayer.

The High Peak MP asked:

“Many of our Victorian prisons are still in use. These prisons are typically located in densely populated inner-city areas. What plans do the Government have to replace these old prisons with modern facilities that are safer for both inmates and guards, much cheaper to run and more effective at rehabilitation and at reducing reoffending rates? There is an opportunity not just dramatically to improve our prisons but to raise significant funds to be reinvested back into the justice system and to free up much-needed land for housing in inner-city areas.”

In response, the Lord Chancellor said:

“My hon. Friend will understand that it is very important that proper calculations are made about prison capacity and that we do not end up in a position like that under the last Labour Government when we were having to use police cells to house prisoners, which was both expensive and, frankly, inhumane. He will know about and will welcome the huge commitment of £4 billion to deliver 18,000 additional prison places—modern places—across the estate by the middle of this decade. That additional space will allow us to do even more purposeful activity. On maintenance, we have committed £315 million next year—a huge increase on the previous capital settlement for maintenance—because we need to get on with ensuring that our current estate is decent, safe and secure.”

Robert Largan MP commented:

“Many of our prisons were built by the Victorians. They are badly designed, making them less safe for both prisoners and prison guards. They're more expensive to run. And they are less effective at rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. I'm glad that the Government is committed to building more modern prisons, which will undoubtedly save taxpayers money in the long run.”