§ Mr. Lawrenceasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department is paying per annum for the accommodation of Mr. Cenos Delos Santos in Wormwood Scrubs prison; and how long it is anticipated that such expenditure will continue.
§ Mr. EggarThe cost to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of Mr. Delos Santos' accommodation in Wormwood Scrubs prison is currently £29,000 a year. This is reimbursement of costs incurred by the Home Office. Delos Santos was sentenced to life imprisonment in November 1985, and the present expenditure will continue until, after assessment, he is moved from a main centre dispersal prison such as Wormwood Scrubs. Assessment normally takes place after three or four years, following which most life prisoners are transferred to category B training establishments, where costs can be expected to be lower.