HC Deb 01 April 1980 vol 982 cc184-5W
Mr. Ernie Ross

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the average cost of keeping an adult in a Scottish prison per week.

Mr. Rifkind

The average weekly net current expenditure on Scottish prisons in the financial year 1977–78, the latest year for which a figure is available, divided by the daily average population, produces a figure of £78.78. The marginal cost of keeping an individual prisoner for a week cannot be exactly calculated but would be, of course, very much less.