WREXHAM scored more highly than Caernarfon when it came to reasons to choose a location for North Wales’ new prison earlier this year.
But a number of other factors came into play which led to the Gwynedd town eventually being selected.
This behind-the-scenes insight into the process was given by John Aspinall, director for estate capacity in the National Offender Management Service, as he gave evidence to the Welsh Affairs Committee of the House of Commons.
The committee was considering the last process for choosing a suitable site, which ended in failure when the Caernarfon site was branded as unsuitable by the government.
It was also looking at the latest search for a site which has seen Wrexham put itself forward as a contender along with two sites from Denbighshire and one from Anglesey.
Prisons Minister Maria Eagle, who was giving evidence, was asked by Ceredigion MP Mark Williams why the Dynamex site in Caernarfon had been chosen over the former Firestone factory site in Wrexham.
She asked Mr Aspinall to give a reply, and he told the committee: “The Wrexham site I think scored slightly higher than the Caernarfon site and the differences were about things to do with being in the green belt, things about how close to the urban area; but they were both good scores.
“Some of the factors being considered were the distances in relation to courts, Welsh language issues and issues about support or not depending on community views, because David Hanson the former minister ran the national public debate and got a lot of views about the different sites.”
Earlier, Mr Aspinall had been asked by Clwyd South MP Martyn Jones whether a new prison in North Wales could provide a boost to the economy and how many job opportunities it might create.
The director replied: “Just as a rough ballpark figure for a 600 to a 900-place prison, something like 400 full time equivalence and we think about £7 million in the local economy.”
Ynys Môn MP Albert Owen asked what the government would be looking for in the new search for a site.
She told him: “We have a list of the sorts of criteria that we will be considering. We want sites of at least 35 acres.”
Mr Owen also asked if prisoners were likely to be sent to the new North Wales prison from across the border in England.
The Minister replied: “That would be possible. Clearly having North Wales and the North West abutting provides us with the kinds of opportunities that we do not necessarily have in respect of North Wales and West Yorkshire.”
Cardiff South and Penarth MP Alun Michael said a submission by the North Wales Criminal Justice Board to the committee noted that despite 95 per cent of North Wales’ male adult prisoners initially being sent to Altcourse on Merseyside there was only one Welsh speaking staff member, the chaplain.
He said: “That seems a little bit odd, does it not?”
Ms Eagle said: “Yes, I think there are issues about the capacity with which we can deal with the needs of prisoners in this respect in terms of their language needs.”