HC Deb 22 February 1973 vol 851 cc142-3W
Mr. Dell

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what proportion of cases, in the November 1970 sample of offenders, in the inner London area and elsewhere separately, a man received a first sentence of immediate imprisonment in a magistrates' court without there being a social inquiry report.

Mr. Carlisle

The survey of use of social inquiry reports showed that a report was obtained by magistrates' courts outside the inner London area in 61 per cent. of such cases in the November 1970 sample. A report was not obtained in any of the small number of cases in the inner London sample.