§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many prisoners who were granted home leave were still at large having failed to return at the latest date for which figures are available;
(2) how many prisoners (a) applied for home leave and (b) were granted home leave in each of the first six months of 1994;
(3) how many prisoners who were granted home leave during (a) 1992, (b) 1993 and (c) the first six months of 1994 were subsequently (i) charged and (ii) convicted of an offence while on home leave;
(4) how many prisoners who had been refused parole during the last 12 months were granted home leave within the next 56 days.
§ Mr. Michael Forsyth[holding answers 21 November 1994]: Responsibility for these matters 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 Derek Lewes to Mr. George Howarth, dated 1 December 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about home leave for prisoners.I regret that the statistical information you have requested is either not collated centrally or is not held within the Prison Service and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.Following the review of home leave and temporary release we are establishing a system to monitor release on temporary licence and the impact of the new arrangements. The system will provide a more comprehensive picture than is currently available, although it will not be capable of answering all of your questions.