§ Mr. John Fraserasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners on remand are currently held in police cells; and what is the weekly cost compared with the cost of keeping a prisoner in a prison.
§ Mr. HurdOn the night of 8/9 March, there were 177 prisoners held in police and court cells.
The average weekly cost of keeping a person in a prison department establishment during 1982–83, the latest period for which information is available, was £218. The average cost of keeping a person in police cells could only be determined at disproportionate expense. However, the daily charge made by the Metropolitan Police is currently about £150.