§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the number of prisoners admitted to Scottish prisons in the latest year for which figures are available who were sentenced to periods of three months and 30 days or less, respectively; and what percentage this was of the total number of admissions of prisoners serving sentences in that year.
§ Mr. RifkindProvisional figures for 1985 are as follows:
Receptions of Convicted Prisoners Length of Sentence Number As Percentage of Total 3 months/90 days 3,306 13.6 1 month/30 days or less 12,660 52.2 All sentence lengths 24,258 100.0
§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the number of persons admitted to prison 521W in Scotland for the non-payment of fines in the latest year for which figures are available and the percentage that number represents 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. RifkindAccording to provisional figures for 1985, 11,435 persons were admitted to penal establisments in Scotland in 1985 in default of payment of fines. This represents 47 per cent. of all receptions under sentence during the year. The average sentence imposed on fine defaulters was 19 days. No information is collected centrally on the average length of sentence actually served, which is affected by remission and by the payment of the fine in some cases before expiry of the sentence.