HC Deb 08 March 1965 vol 708 cc22-3W
Mr. Carlisle

asked the Secretary of Sate for the Home Department what was the total number of people sent to prison in each of the five years prior to the passing of the Maintenance Orders Act, 1958, for non-payment of maintenance orders; what was the average term of imprisonment which they served; and what was the total number of people sent to prison for non-payment of maintenance orders in each year since the passing of the Maintenance Orders Act, 1958.

Miss Bacon

The information is given in the following table:

Year Number of receptions into prison for nonpayment of wife's maintenance Average period of imprisonment for nonpayment of wife's maintenance (days) Number of receptions into prison for nonpayment of children's maintenance (males and females
1953 3,392 832
1954 3,392 895
1955 3,053 49 784
1956 2,969 53 859
1957 3,131 51 905
1958 3,338 52 996
1959 1,649 47 497
1960 1,720 31 447
1961 2,086 30 505
1962 2,377 28 540
1963 2,217 30 430

Notes:

  1. 1. Information about the average period of imprisonment for persons received for nonpayment of children's maintenance is not available.
  2. 2. Information about the average period of imprisonment for persons received for nonpayment of wife's maintenance is not available for 1953 and 1954.