§ Mr. Peter Robinsonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons are currently serving prison sentences in connection with terrorist activities relating to the Northern Ireland situation; and what is the approximate cost per week of keeping these prisoners in gaol (a) in Her Majesty's Prison, Crumlin Road, (b) the Maze Prison, (c) Magilligan Prison and (d) prisons in Great Britain.
§ Mr. AlisonThe information sought in the first part of the question is not avail-able as statistics of the Northern Ireland prison population are not compiled on this basis. The total sentenced population on 10 June 1979 was 2,253, of whom 547 were special category prisoners.
It would not be possible, without unjustifiable expense, to extract information about costs in the precise form in which the hon. Gentleman seeks them. The estimated weekly cost of keeping a prisoner in custody in Northern Ireland in 1978–79 was of the order of £190.
Questions as to the cost of keeping prisoners in Great Britain are for the Secretaries of State concerned.