§ The Earl of LONGFORDasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many prisoners are now serving sentences of life imprisonment; and of these how many have been in prison for ten years or more; and of this last number how many have not yet been considered for parole or given a date when they will be so considered.
1481WA
§ The MINISTER of STATE, HOME OFFICE (Lord Harris of Greenwich)On September 15 1976 1,122 persons were serving sentences of life imprisonment in England and Wales and 127 of these had been detained for ten years or longer. All but three of these 127 persons have been considered for release on licence by the local review committee at the prison and by the Parole Board.
Under a procedure announced in 1973, the cases of all life sentence prisoners who have served about three to four years are considered by a joint sub-committee of representatives of the Parole Board and the Home Office. The three cases referred to above are being kept under review by this body.