§ 8. Mr. Freudasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were serving sentences of under one month for non-payment of fines in each of the last three years for which he has records.
§ Mr. MellorIn 1981 about 12,700 persons were received into prison having been committed for less than one month in default of payment of fines, costs or compensation. About 15,200 such persons were received in 1982, and about 14,600 in 1983.
§ Mr. FreudDoes the Minister agree that custodial sentences for fine defaulters should be used only as a very last resort? Will he look at some of the imaginative community service schemes that are being carried out in other countries, such as Australia, to see whether he can learn something from them?
§ Mr. MellorThe hon. Gentleman is right. Indeed, we have acted on that advice. Last year a circular was sent out to magistrates' courts reminding them that the use of imprisonment was a last resourt in fine enforcement, and suggesting other ways to improve the position. We are actively investigating the prospect of the use of community service as an alternative to imprisonment for failure to pay fines, and have issued a document for consultation to interested organisations. We shall make a final decision based on their response.
§ Mr. SpencerDoes my hon. Friend agree that a period of imprisonment in default of payment is an important sanction, which results in payment in the majority of cases?
§ Mr. MellorYes, Sir. As my hon. and learned Friend is right to say, we are talking about a final way of enforcing payment, which works remarkably well. In 1983, 1.5 million fines were imposed on males, and there were only 22,000 admissions to prison. That is a small proportion. However, we still believe that those admissions to prison are too many and that more effective administration could reduce that number further. That would be in the interests of good management of the prisons.