§ Mr. HIRSTasked the Home Secretary the number of political prisoners at present undergoing sentence; whether these prisoners are being treated under Rule 243a; and, if not, the reason?
§ Mr. SHORTTPrisoners are not classified according to the motives alleged to have prompted their crimes; and as I explained, in answer to the hon. Member for Spen Valley (Mr. Myers), on the 23rd February, neither prisoners whose offences are due to political motives nor any other classes of prisoners are entitled to claim the benefit of Rule 243a.