§ Mr. AspinwallTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are imprisoned each year for non-payment of debts in(a) England and (b) Avon; and what is the average length of the prison sentence.
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§ Mr. MellorThe readily available information from records held centrally is given in the table. Figures for England and Wales are published annually in Prison
Persons received into Prison Service establishments in England and Wales after committal for non-payment of debts in 1988 from all courts in Avon and England and Wales; by type of non-payment Avon1 All courts in England and Wales Type of non-payment Number of receptions Average period imposed (days) Number of receptions Average period imposed (days) Wife maintenance2 5 39 3,182 34 Child maintenance 17 38 Arrears under an affiliation order 5 43 36 34 Rates 253 43 Other debts 59 21 All types of non-payment 10 41 747 36 1 Estimated. 2 including wife and child maintenance.