§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the average daily number of prisoners held in Scottish prisons awaiting sentence in 1970 and for each of the last three years for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Allan StewartStatistics in the form requested are available only from 1974, when the average daily number of prisoners held in Scottish prisons awaiting sentence was 171. Corresponding figures for the last three years for which figures are available are:
Number 1979 125 1980 151 1981 182
§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the average daily cost of maintaining a prisoner in a Scottish prison at the latest convenient date.
§ Mr. Allan StewartThe average daily cost of maintaining a prisoner in an adult prison in the year ended 31 March 1982 was £20.20. The average over all penal establishments for the same period was £21.10 per day.
§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the average daily prison population in Scotland for 1950, 1960, 1970 and the latest convenient year for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Allan StewartThe average daily population of Scottish penal establishments in each of the years in question was as follows:
Number 1950 1,781 1960 2,821 1970 5,003 1981 4,518
§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the average daily number of prisoners held in prison in Scotland on remand awaiting trial in 1970 and for each of the last three years for which figures are available; and what was the average length of stay in prison of a prisoner in this category.
§ Mr. Allan StewartStatistics in the form requested are available only from 1974. In that year, the average daily number of prisoners held awaiting trial was 474, and the estimated average length of stay in prison was 14.8 days. Corresponding figures for the last three years are:
133W
Number Estimated length of stay (days) 1979 566 16.9 1980 554 18.4 1981 564 18.3
§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prisoners were admitted to prison because of failure to pay a fine for the latest available period for which figures are available; how many of these were admitted in connection with the non-payment of a fine of under £50; what was the average length of stay of prisoners admitted for non-payment of fine; and what was the percentage of the total number of admissions of prisoners to serve a sentence in Scottish prisons which fell into this category.
§ Mr. Allan StewartIn 1981, 6,755 prisoners were admitted to Scottish prisons because of failure to pay a fine. No breakdown is available of the amount of the fine involved in these cases. The average length of stay in custody for these prisoners was 9.6 days. The percentage of the total number of admissions of prisoners under sentence to Scottish penal establishments which fell into this category in 1981 was 43.5.