§ Dr. Vaughanasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now take steps to release to units of the National Voluntary Civil Aid Services, the equipment withdrawn from the Civil Defence Corps and Auxiliary Fire Service in 1968 and placed in Home Office stores, or state the conditions under which such units can obtain the use, permanent loan or limited loan, of such equipment.
§ Mr. LaneThe Question appears to be based on a misunderstanding of the content of Home Office stores. They contain no equipment which could be released on loan to units of the National Voluntary Civil Aid Services. Most of the equipment withdrawn in 1968 has already been scrapped as unserviceable or sold as surplus.
Immediate imprisonment per cent. Suspended sentence per cent. All imprisonment per cent. Men receiving a first prison sentence* … … … 44 36 37 All women† … … … … … … 72 66 68 * The survey did not distinguish within this category those men who were first offenders as defined in the First Offenders Act 1958. † The survey did not distinguish between women who received first sentences of imprisonment and women who had received previous sentences.
§ Mr. Dellasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish the variations by area in the incidence of the use of social inquiry reports revealed by the November, 1970, sample of offenders.
§ Mr. CarlisleThe survey showed that social inquiry reports were considered in 83 per cent. of the cases by the higher courts in London and in 94 per cent. elsewhere. The corresponding figures for