§ 41. Miss Irene Wardasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the 3,544 men committed to prison by courts of summary jurisdiction in 1950 for non-compliance with maintenance orders actually served a prison sentence; and how many paid the money required by the courts in lieu of imprisonment before the time for such payment expired.
§ Mr. EdeThree thousand five hundred and forty-four men were committed to prison in 1950 for failing to pay maintenance to their wives. This was the number received into prison, but without scrutiny of personal files at the prisons it would not be possible to say for how long they were detained in prison and how many paid during their imprisonment the whole or part of the arrears of maintenance owed by them.
§ Miss WardIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that it would be very helpful to those interested in this matter if the figure could be broken down and if, without going back to past records, we could have records in the future?