§ Mr. Maclennanasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many long-term prisoners in Scotland have been eligible for parole under the 1984 revised guidelines; how many have chosen not to be considered; how many cases have been referred to the Parole Board for information only; and how many cases the Parole Board subsequently recommended for release following original rejection by the local review committee.
§ Mr. John MacKayIn 1984, the Parole Board for Scotland considered 55 cases of those serving sentences of over five years for crimes of violence or drug trafficking to which the new policy applied. Of this number, 37 cases were referred to the Board for information only and in 21 of these cases release had not been recommended by a local review committee. The board did not recommend release in any of the cases referred for information only and not recommended for release by a local review committee.
In 1984 out of a total of 819 inmates who were eligible for consideration for parole 100 opted out of the scheme. Separate figures for those who opted out, and were subject to the new parole policy, are not available.
Figures for cases considered for parole in 1985 are not yet available.