Delay on new prison announcement

A north Wales prison short list has been delayed by several months

Possible sites for a north Wales prison have yet to be revealed by Justice Minister David Hanson who has delayed the announcement.

Mr Hanson told a business conference eight days ago that he would be revealing the shortlist this week.

He said he regretted the delay, but said it was in the "long-term interest of the potential development".

A shortlist is expected to be published later this year, with a final announcement made by late summer.

Mr Hanson, who is also the MP for Delyn, gave no reason for the delay, but a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice said it was due to "additional consultation".

Mr Hanson added: "I am grateful to the Welsh Development Agency, the North Wales Criminal Justice Board and others who have put forward sites, for their assistance in identifying potential sites.

"During the exercise to identify sites we have sought to consider as many sites as possible so that we identify the sites with the most potential.

"It is anticipated that a shortlist will now be published in the summer."

The North Wales Criminal Justice Board has claimed a prison could create 1,000 jobs and bring £17m investment into the area.

It claims around 700 people from across the region are serving sentences in jails in England.