§ Mr. MATHEWasked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the fact that 2959W 11,340 women were received in His Majesty's prisons during the financial year 1921–22, and that the daily average female prison population was 1,388, he will consider, at an early date, the advisability of filling the vacancy of woman inspector caused by the retirement of the late inspector in 1921, as the experience in other branches of the work of his Department has shown clearly that the duties carried out by women inspectors could not be carried out with the same degree of efficiency by male inspectors however competent?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANI would refer the hon. and learned Member to the reply which I gave to a question asked yesterday by the hon. Member for the Mansfield Division (Mr. A. Bennett). The daily average number of female prisoners decreased from 2,685 in 1909–1910 to 1,388 in 1921–2, and is now 1,164.