HC Deb 26 November 1984 vol 68 c348W
Mr. Wrigglesworth

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will publish statistics on the operation in the first year of the new parole policy;

(2) how many prisoners serving sentences of five years or more for offences of violence or drug trafficking have been released since the implementation of the new parole policy; and what have been the exceptional circumstances or compelling reasons in each case.

Mr. Mellor

We expect shortly to be able to publish an assessment of the working of the new policy in January to June this year compared with the same period last year.

Mr. Wrigglesworth

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many life sentence prisoners in the new 20-year categories created by the change in parole policy have been released since its inception; and what were the exceptional circumstances or compelling reasons in these cases.

Mr. Mellor

Two. One had been in custody 26 years and four months; the other 23 years and one month.