§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the average daily population in Prison Department establishments in England and Wales of people detained under the Immigration Act 1971 and the average length of detention of such people discharged, in each of the years since 1971.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Elton)The average numbers of person detained in Prison Department establishments in England and Wales under the Immigration Act 1971 787WA in each year since the Act came into force on 1st January 1973 are published annually in Prison Statistics, England and Wales (Table 1.4 of the issue for 1982, Cmnd. 9027). The average period of detention of such persons discharged in 1982 was 4 ½ weeks and of those discharged in 1981 it was 5 weeks; these averages do not include any time spent in police cells or immigration service detention units. Corresponding information for earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.