§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Attorney-General what is the number of occasions prior to and since the sentencing of the five dockers when the Official Solicitor intervened to secure the release of convicted persons, with or without their consent; and whether in any of these instances appeals were pending.
The Solicitor-GeneralIn 1979 the Official Solicitor applied to the High Court for bail, on behalf of persons otherwise unrepresented, on 5,600 occasions. Eleven were in respect of persons convicted and sentenced in magistrates' courts.
The Official Solicitor is also notified of all persons imprisoned for contempt of court, as in the July 1972 cases mentioned in the question. He advises such persons of their right to apply for release; where he considers that the interests of justice require a case to be reviewed by the courts, he applies accordingly.
He applied on behalf of such contempt prisoners as follows: information is not readily available in respect of earlier years.
Year Occurrences 1976 20 1968 21 1969 26 1970 28 1971 20 1972 14 1973 15 1974 14 1975 10 1976 29 1977 12 1978 17 1979 20 It is not known whether appeals against committal were pending in any of the above cases.