§ 29. Mr. FREDERICK WHYTEasked the Secretary for Scotland what is the present total of the prison population of Scotland, and what the equivalent figure was for 1914?
The SECRETARY for SCOTLAND (Mr. McKinnon Wood)Excluding criminal lunatic, inebriates, and Borstal departments and legalised police cells, the total of the prison population in Scotland on 23rd May was 1,307. The equivalent figure for 1914 was 2,477.
§ 30. Mr. WHYTEasked the Secretary for Scotland whether his attention has been drawn to the closing of English prisons owing to the decline in the number of prisoners since the outbreak of war; and whether he contemplates a similar measure of public economy in Scotland?
Mr. McKINNON WOODThe answer to the first portion of the question is in the affirmative. As regards Scotland, portions of our two largest prisons have been handed over to the War Office for use as military detention barracks. If the circumstances, which are not quite the same as in England, should be considered such as to justify the entire closing of any prison, this course will be followed; but so far, while the question has been carefully considered, both from the financial standpoint and otherwise, such action has not been found expedient?
§ Mr. HOGGEIn these cases are they using the warders from the Scottish prisons for the purpose of looking after the military prisoners?