HC Deb 20 June 1990 vol 174 cc574-5W
Mr. Bermingham

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number and proportion of prisoners appearing before disciplinary hearings of boards of visitors who were legally represented in the most recent available year.

Mr. Mellor

[holding answer 15 June 1990]: The centrally held data relate to the numbers of offences on which boards of visitors adjudicate. The latest data are for 1988 when applications for legal representations were granted in respect of hearings for 33 offences, that is, 0.8 per cent. of the number of offences on which boards of visitors adjudicated.

Mr. Bermingham

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were found guilty of disciplinary offences by boards of visitors in the most recent available year; how many were deprived of remission; and what was the breakdown of lengths of remission forfeited.

Mr. Mellor

[holding answer 15 June 1990]: The centrally held data relate to the numbers of punishments awarded. From 1 April 1989 the maximum penalty available to boards of visitors was reduced to 120 days' forfeiture of remission. The most recent data were for 1988 when boards of visitors awarded 5,180 unsuspended punishments. A total of 3,108 of these were forfeiture of remission and were broken down as follows:

Number of days remission forfeited Number of punishments
1–7 78
8–14 65
15–28 177
29–30 141
31–60 1,479
61–90 928
91–120 168
Over 120 72