§ Rev. Ian PaisleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners were on remand in the prisons of Northern Ireland on 30 November 1989; what was the longest term of remand; and what were the comparable figures for the last three years.
§ Mr. Cope[holding answer 21 December 1989]: On 26 October 1989, the lastest date for which figures are available, there were 343 prisoners in remand custody in prisons in Northern Ireland. At that date the longest time spent in remand custody by an individual prisoner was 131 days.
Comparable figures for remand prisoners for the same day in 1986, 1987 and 1988 are 292, 313, 272 respectively. The details of longest time served for those years is not readily available and could not be produced except at disproportionate cost.