Prisoners: Food
Justice

Dan Byles (North Warwickshire, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost of each meal provided to a prisoner was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Prisons and Probation), Justice; Reigate, Conservative)

The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) does not hold information on the actual cost of each prisoner meal. This could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

The responsibility for determining prisoner food budgets lies with the governor who will set aside a realistic sum to meet the dietary needs of their prisoner population. Meal requirements vary between establishments and are based on the prisoner population, local regimes and seasonal availability. The average daily cost^(l) for food (including beverages) per prisoner per day in public sector prisons was £2.20 for the financial year ending 2010.

It is possible to estimate what the average daily cost per prisoner meal would be based on the understanding that breakfast, lunch and dinner account for approximately 20%, 40% and 40% of the daily food expenditure. But these percentages will vary from one establishment to another and are for illustrative purposes only—please see the following table.