§ Sir John Biggs-Davisonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons sentenced to imprisonment for terrorist murders and attempted murders, explosive offences not involving murder or attempted murder and other terrorist offences, respectively, are now (a) at large by reason of escape from prison or (b) are free having been released from prison, respectively; and how many such persons, have since release or escape, committed other terrorist offences in the aforementioned categories.
§ Mr. John PattenInformation is not available in the form requested. Two persons who escaped from prison during the last 10 years while serving sentences for scheduled offences are still at large. During the last five years, more than 3,000 prisoners have been released after serving sentences for scheduled offences.
It is not possible to say how many of these persons have since committed other offences. The only information available, from a study of a random sample of prisoners sentenced for scheduled offences who were discharged in 1977, suggested that about 8 per cent. of those released were convicted of further scheduled offences within two years.