§ Mr. van Straubenzeeasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average amount of time spent in prison by all those convicted of murder who were sentenced to life imprisonment and subsequently released.
1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 Cumbria … … … … 16 11 6 18 12 Lancashire … … … … 28 65 55 51 80 Greater Manchester … … 95 125 147 124 166 Merseyside … … … … 65 88 99 103 71 The 1979 figure for Cumbria includes the figures in a current submission which is likely to be accepted.
No significant comparison can be made with other regions on the basis of population, because the number of appointments made each year is determined by the existing strength of individual benches and the volume of work with which they have to deal.