§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
On how many occasions in each of the years 1977 to 1983 inclusive the Secretary of State for the Home Department rejected the recommendation of the Parole Board that a prisoner be released; in how many of these cases in each year he did so on the basis of additional information not available to the board, and in how many for other reasons; and whether they will say, in general terms, what factors are taken into consideration in making these decisions.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Elton)The numbers of cases in which the Secretary of State was unable to accept the Parole Board's recommendation for release on licence were as follows:
Parole licence Life licence 1977 8 7 1978 7 3 1979 13 5 1980 11 7 1981 8 4 1982 20 5 1983 17 15 It has never been the practice to give reasons for these decisions.