HC Deb 12 April 1988 vol 131 cc50-1W
Mr. John Marshall

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many convicted terrorists have been granted remission of part of their sentence since 1980; arid how many committed subsequent crimes.

Mr. Stanley

During the period 1980 to 1987 a total of 5,109 inmates serving fixed sentences for scheduled offences were released with remission. Complete information on how many of these committed subsequent crimes is not readily available. However, a recent survey of a sample of former prisioners shows that some 40 per cent. of those released in 1984 from serving a sentence for a scheduled offence were subsequently convicted of either a scheduled or a non-scheduled offence committed within two years of their release.