§ 29. Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for extending the system of non-custodial penalties for convicted offenders.
§ 31. Mr. Fowlerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present prison population and what further plans he has for reducing this total.
§ Mr. MaudlingThe population of all prison service establishments in England and Wales was 40,178 on 28th February.
I am anxious to develop powers and facilities that will enable the courts to deal with a greater proportion of offenders outside prison service establishments. In addition to arrangements to increase the rate of recruitment to training for the probation and after-care service, I have in hand studies of various other possibilities, 367W details of which I gave in reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Newark (Mr. Bishop) on 16th December last.—[Vol. 808, c. 370–1.]