§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the number of persons admitted to prison in Scotland for the non-payment of fines in the latest year for which figures are available; what percentage they were of the total number of admissions of convicted prisoners; and what was the average sentence served by those admitted for non-payment of fines in that year.
§ Mr. YoungerIn 1983, there were 9,329 persons received into penal establishments in default for payment of fines. This represented 46 per cent. of persons received under sentence. Information on the average sentence served by those admitted in default of payment of fines is not available; but the average sentence imposed for this reason was 22 days.