Commons Sense

House of Commons · Written Ministerial Statement

Management of the Prison Estate

18 March 2025 · Ministry of Justice

Proposed by Shabana Mahmood Lab Birmingham Ladywood

Justice & Courts

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

View on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Key points

  • The minister is addressing the prison capacity crisis and high occupancy rates in the UK's adult male estate.
  • Operation Safeguard has been temporarily reactivated to manage prisoner intake.
  • A new 1,500-capacity prison in North Yorkshire will be opened.
  • The use of Operation Safeguard will be reviewed regularly and deactivated when capacity issues are resolved.

Issue summary

The minister is addressing the ongoing prison capacity crisis and the high occupancy rates within the UK's adult male estate.

Action requested

The minister has temporarily reactivated Operation Safeguard to better manage prisoner intake and will open a new 1,500-capacity prison in North Yorkshire. The use of Operation Safeguard will be reviewed regularly and deactivated as soon as capacity issues are resolved.

Key facts

  • The adult male estate is operating at more than 99% occupancy with only 824 places remaining.
  • On the night of 10 March, there were 124 no-space lockouts, a record high during business-as-usual operations.
  • A new 458-capacity houseblock at HMP Rye Hill has just been opened.
  • Operation Safeguard will be activated to manage temporary pressures on the prison estate and minimize police cell usage.
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