HC Deb 14 October 1991 vol 196 cc31-2W
Mr. Shersby

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make an estimate of the cost to public funds during the last 12-month period for which showing their location and the number of places in each hostel; and if he will make a statement on his plans for increasing the number of such hostels.

Mr. John Patten

There are 29 approved bail hostels in England and Wales providing a total of 602 places. The table gives their location and the number of places at each.

Persons on bail may also be accommodated in approved probation hostels. There are 82 such hostels in England and Wales, providing a total of 1,774 places for persons on bail and those subject to probation orders.

An expansion programme is already under way. This will provide 1,200 additional bail places at approved bail or probation hostels between April 1988 and April 1994. A total of 577 of these additional places are already on stream.

figures are available of keeping remand prisoners in police station cells; and what had been the comparable cost of detaining them in prison.

Mrs. Rumbold

The total cost for holding prisoners in police cells which has been paid during the 12 month period October 1990 to September 1991 was £43,905,022.

The average weekly cost of keeping a prisoner in a police cell is £1,540 per week. The average weekly cost of keeping a prisoner in a local prison was £309 per week during the year 1988–89 which is the latest period for which figures are available.

I regret that it is not possible to provide a breakdown between remand and other classes of prisoners held in police cells.