§ Mr. Grocottasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the average daily prison population for (a) 1970, (b) 1975, (c) 1980 and (d) the latest year for which figures are available, showing in each case the proportion of remand prisoners.
§ Mr. John PattenThe information is given in the following table. Details of the average population for each of the previous 10 years are published annually in "Prison Statistics, England and Wales" (table 1.4 of the latest issue for 1985, Cmnd. 9903) and figures for 1986 were published in April in Home Office Statistical Bulletin 6/87.
Average population of Prison Department establishments in England and Wales, 1970, 1975. 1980 and 1986 Year Number of persons Percentage on remand1 1970 39,028 12 1975 39,820 14 1980 42,264 14 1986 46,770 21 1 Untried or convicted unsentenced.
§ Mr. Tom Clarkeasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish as a table in the Official Report the total prison population and the prison population rate per 100,000 people for each member country of the Council of Europe showing United Kingdom figures, England and Wales figures and Scotland figures separately.
§ Mr. John PattenA copy of the latest figures, which relate to 1 September 1986, from the Council of Europe, showing the information required has been placed in the Library. The information about prisoners in different countries published by the Council of Europe is not likely to be strictly comparable, because it reflects different legal and administrative systems and such differences may have a substantial effect on the comparisons. These difficulties apply particularly to the figures of committals to prison per 100,000 inhabitants.