§ 2.38 p.m.
§ Lord BROCKWAYMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they propose to limit the period in prison of persons on remand and of immigrants awaiting decisions regarding deportation.
§ The PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY of STATE, HOME OFFICE (Lord Belstead)My Lords, my noble and learned friend the Lord Chancellor made it clear in the debate on the Address that the Government are concerned about the length of time persons spend waiting for their cases to be heard in the courts. The Home Office makes every effort to keep to the minimum the time spent in prison by persons awaiting a decision on whether they are to be deported.
§ Lord BROCKWAYMy Lords, while welcoming both the statement made by the noble and learned Lord the Lord Chancellor and the Minister's present reply, may I ask the noble Lord this question: Has he seen the evidence which the Board of Visitors—not a very radical organisation—has given to the May Commission about Pentonville Prison? Has he noted their statement that six prisoners, unconvicted, have been there for between 13 and 20 months and that eight deportees, not charged with any offence, have been there for three months? Does he agree with them that this is shameful and a poor advertisement for British justice?
§ Lord BELSTEADMy Lords, I have not seen the evidence to which the noble Lord has particularly referred, in the wealth of evidence which has been put before the May Commission. I hope I indicated in my reply to the noble Lord, Lord Brockway, that I agree with the tenor of the Question which he has asked; but, having said that, with reference to the specific examples which the noble Lord has given me may I just say that so far as concerns the power of the Home Office to free those who are awaiting possible deportation close checks are regularly made into the continuing need to detain them, but it has to be borne in mind that if a court or the Home Secretary has ordered that a person be detained until a final decision is reached on deportation then usually in that case there has been a complete disregard of the rules governing immigration control.
§ Lord BROCKWAYMy Lords, may I ask the Minister this further question? What is being done to apply the principles which he has expressed? Is a circular to be issued urging that courts should sit longer and more often in order that they may deal with these questions more rapidly? Would it not be desirable that it should be an exception that prisoners on remand should be sent to prison? If deportees have to be detained, surely they can be detained otherwise than in prison.
§ Lord BELSTEADMy Lords, so far as the courts are concerned, the Government are pressing ahead with plans, which have in fact been inherited from the previous Government, for more court building, 611 particularly in the London area. Of course, we have only just finished the first year of the working of the Bail Act. That has been monitored by my right honourable friend's Department, and possibly in the future I shall be in a position to give your Lordships details of that. So far as concerns the anxiety which the noble Lord is expressing today, the noble Lord might like to know that there has been a small but welcome drop in the overall number of committals for trial in the Crown Courts in recent months.
§ Lord BROCKWAYMy Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply.