§ Mr. Stonehouseasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will tabulate in the Official Report the categories and numbers of unconvicted defendants who were kept on remand in Her Majesty's prisons after being refused bail and were subsequently acquitted or not given prison sentences during the last 12 months.
§ Dr. Summerskill23,791 persons are known to have been intially received into prison on remand awaiting trial in 1974 and subsequently acquitted or not given immediate custodial sentences. It is not known how many of these were refused bail or did not apply for bail; nor how many of them were awaiting sureties and were subsequently bailed before trial.
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§ Mr. Stonehouseasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unconvicted defendants have been held on remand without bail in Her Majesty's prisons after being charged with smoking in non-smoking compartments during the past 12 months.
§ Dr. SummerskillIf my right hon. Friend knows of any such case and will let me have details I will inquire into it.
§ Mr. Stonehouseasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unconvicted defendants have been held on remand in Her Majesty's prisons after being charged with loitering or other minor suspect offences during the last 12 months.
§ Dr. SummerskillThe information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, but I have no reason to believe that the numbers would be more than minimal.
§ Mr. Stonehouseasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) why unconvicted defendants on remand are not allowed to receive hard-cover books from families and friends;
(2) how unconvicted defendants on remand can receive hard-cover books which are essential reading for the preparation of their cases against criminal or civil proceedings.
§ Dr. SummerskillAn unconvicted prisoner may receive a reasonable number of hard-cover books provided they are in good and clean condition and do not deal with medical matters likely to affect the prisoner adversely and are not likely to facilitate the commission of crime. Prisoners may also purchase books or borrow them from the prison library. The regulations governing the receipt of books are set out in Sections 4 and 7 of the Prison Standing Orders, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. Stonehouseasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what period of time during 24 hours on a normal weekday is a prisoner on remand expected to be in his cell, excepting prisoners employed on special duties.
§ Dr. SummerskillIn Brixton Prison for 20½ hours, during four of which he 675W would not be locked in and would have access to prisoners in other cells. In practice these periods are often shorter, since a remand prisoner may receive daily social visits, visits as necessary from his legal adviser, and may also be involved in interviews with staff. The periods at other establishments vary.
§ Mr. Stonehouseasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many prisoners are on remand at Brixton Prison unconvicted and awaiting trial; and how many rooms are available for private interviews with defending solicitors or counsel;
(2) at what hours defending solicitors may visit unconvicted prisoners on remand at Brixton Prison.
§ Dr. SummerskillOn 30th September, 748 unconvicted prisoners and 114 convicted but unsentenced prisoners were held in Brixton Prison. There are 13 interview rooms available in a special block for solicitors or counsel, and occasionally another room is made available. Solicitors may visit between 9 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. and 1 p.m. and 4.30 p.m. on Mondays to Fridays, and between 9 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. on Saturdays. These periods may be extended by 15 minutes to enable interviews to be concluded and in special circumstances interviews may continue during the lunch break. In the first eight months of this year 14,952 visits were held in the solicitors' visits block and, although it was sometimes necessary to ask a solicitor to wait until an interview room became available, at no time was a solicitor refused a visit because of lack of facilities. There are plans for new accommodation for legal visits and I hope that it will be possible to make a start on this provision next year.