§ Mr. BerminghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many petty sessional divisions, 5 per cent. or less of remanded defendants were remanded in custody; in how many petty sessional divisions over 25644W per cent. of remanded defendants were remanded in custody; and what was the national average proportion of remanded defendants who were remanded in custody in each of 1986 and 1987.
§ Mr. John Patten[holding answer 30 June 1988]: The latest complete information is for 1985 and was published 645W on 13 April 1987 in Home Office statistical bulletin 7/78 "The Use of Custodial Remand By The Courts", copies of which are in the Library. On average 13 per cent. of defendants remanded for all offences in 1985 were remanded in custody; there were nearly 80 petty sessional divisions in which over 25 per cent. of remanded defendants were recorded as remanded in custody, whereas in over 110 petty sessional divisions only 5 per cent. of remanded defendants were remanded in custody.