§ Mr. Charles Irvingasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of fines was enforced by imprisonment in 1948, 1949, 1978 and 1979.
§ Mr. BrittanThe information available is given in the following table; figures for 1979 are not yet available.
RECEPTIONS INTO PRISON DEPARTMENT ESTABLISHMENTS IN DEFAULT OF PAYMENT OF A FINE PER 1,000 PERSONS FINED ENGLAND AND WALES Year Number of persons* fined (thousands) Number of receptions† Receptions† per 1,000 persons fined 1948 488 4,059 8.3 1949 486 4,329 8.9 1978 1,568 16,442 10.5 * Persons aged 17 and over whose principal sentence was a fine. Persons who received a fine as a secondary sentence for their principal offence or for a secondary offence are not counted. † The reception may be in default of a fine imposed in an earlier year.