HC Deb 18 October 1993 vol 230 cc105-6W
Ms Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of life sentence prisoners have been released immediately on completion of their tariff in each of the last five years.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

Information in the form requested is not recorded centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, examination of the records of the 87 life sentence prisoners released on life licence for the first time in 1992 show that 9 per cent. of them were released either before, on, or within one month after, expiry of tariff.

Ms Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 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.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

Responsibility 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 D. Lewis to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 18 October 1993: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking how many persons are serving life sentences of imprisonment, the sub-totals for men and women prisoners and the proportion who are serving mandatory sentences for murder. The latest available information is for 31 May 1993 when there were 3,108 prisoners in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales serving life sentences, of whom 3,002 were men and 106 were women. Of these some 81 per cent. of the total life sentence population were serving mandatory sentences for murder.