§ Mr. Charles Irvingasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he can give about the volume of petitions he receives from prisoners and the proportion which he grants.
§ Mr. MayhewCensuses of petitions were conducted annually between 1975 and 1977 and estimated figures for those years are as follows:
1975 1976 1977 Number of petitions (to nearest 100) 11,300 9,500 10,000 Proportion granted 21 per cent. 19 per cent. 18 per cent. I regret that information for more recent years is not available.
§ Mr. Charles Irvingasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken with regard to the Expenditure Committee's recommendation that the use of petitions by prisoners should be studied; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MayhewA preliminary study of petitions is in hand, but progress on a wider review must depend on the availability of resources.