§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
How much "Common Fund" was paid out at each of the dispersal prisons at Christmas 1985, and why there are differences in payments between the dispersal prisons.
§ Lord GlenarthurThe administration of Common Funds, or General Purpose Funds as they are now known, is a matter for local discretion. The Governor of the prison, in deciding what payment, if any, should be made to prisoners over Christmas, takes into account the amount of the fund available at that time, the size of the prison population, the unlikely future demands on the fund, and, as far as possible, the views of the inmates themselves. The following payments were made at dispersal prisons over Christmas 1985:
Albany £1 Gartree £1.75 Frankland £1 Hull £0.75 Long Lartin £0.50 Parkhurst £0.75 Wakefield £0.50 Wormwood Scrubs £1.50