HL Deb 11 March 1993 vol 543 c63WA
Lord Windlesham

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the total number of persons serving life sentences of imprisonment in England and Wales, the sub-totals for men and women prisoners, and the proportion who are serving mandatory sentences for murder.

The Minister of State, Home Office (Earl Ferrers)

The latest available information is for 30th June 1992, when there were 3,000 prisoners in Prison Service establishments serving life sentences, of whom 2,904 were men and 96 were women. Some 79 per cent. of the total life sentence population were serving mandatory sentences for murder.

Lord Windlesham

asked Her Majesty's Government:

To print in the Official Report the latest available comparative statistics showing the total number of persons serving sentences of life imprisonment in the United Kingdom and in each of the states in membership of the Council of Europe.

Earl Ferrers

I regret that the information requested is not available for states in membership of the Council of Europe other than the United Kingdom.