§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average life sentence served by(a) men and (b) women who were sentenced to life imprisonment since 1970.
§ Mr. Peter LloydResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Butler to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 13 December 1993:
AVERAGE TIME SERVED BY LIFE SENTENCE PRISONERS SENTENCED SINCE 1970The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about the average time served by (a) men and (b) women sentenced to life imprisonment since 1970.The available information is published annually in "Prison Statistics, England and Wales" (Tables 8.4 and 8.5 of the latest volume, for 1991, Cm. 2157), a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library. Information for men and women released in 1992 was given in response to a question from Mrs. Mahon MP (Vol. 229, Col. 856, Written Answers on 27 July 1993) and I attach a copy of the reply for ease of reference.