§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken and when, to reduce the numbers of persons in prison on remand awaiting trial; whether he will give at the latest and most convenient stated dates the total numbers of men and women in prison on remand; whether he will give a breakdown of the numbers in each group who have been held in custody for periods of three months or more at quarterly intervals; and how many have been held for one and a half years or more up to the longest stated period of time.
§ Mr. MayhewSince the issue last year of the report of the Home Office working group on magistrates' courts, we have pursued a number of its suggestions about ways in which magistrates' courts could be helped to increase their efficiency and so to reduce waiting times and, with them, the length of time which unconvicted persons remain in prison on remand. We have also continued to encourage courts themselves to follow up the working group's suggestions for improvements in their procedures. We shall consider further steps in the light of responses to the report. In addition, my noble Friend the Lord Chancellor has always given the highest priority to reducing delay in the Crown court by the opening of new courtrooms, the appointment of more judges and the more efficient use of resources.
The latest statistical information readily available is given in the following table:
217W
Population of untried prisoners in prison department establishments in England and Wales on 30 November 1982: by sex and length of time since initial remand in custody Length of time since* initial remand in custody Estimated number† Male Female Up to three months 4,000 140 Over three months up to six months 900 20 Over six months up to nine months 300 10 Over nine months up to 12 months 100 5 Over 12 months up to 15 months 50 — Over 15 months up to 18 months 20 — Over 18 months up to 21 months 5 — Over 21 months up to 24 months 10 — Over 24 months 5 — Total 5,400 170 * Including any time which may have been spent on bail after initial remand in custody and may involve consecutive periods on remand resulting from different charges. † Rounded estimates: the components do not add to the total because they have been rounded independently. The figures recorded centrally are approximate; detailed checking of individual cases would involve disproportionate cost.