§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the number of prisoners likely to be held in United Kingdom prisons in October. [30473]
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Pearson to Mr. Barry Sheerman, dated 4 June 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question asking what is his estimate of the number of prisoners likely to be held in United Kingdom prisons in October.The latest projection produced in April is that the prison population in England and Wales could be around 56,700 on 31 October 1996. The population was projected from current trends but past experience has shown the likelihood of departures from the trend. Information for Scotland and Northern Ireland is available from the Secretaries of State for those Departments.