§ 20. Mr. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are being held in police stations in Greater Manchester.
§ Mr. Charles WardleThe number of prisoners held in police cells in Greater Manchester overnight on Tuesday 8 March was 169.
§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners on average were being held in each of the police stations in the Merseyside area for each month since January 1993, and for each day so far in March 1994; what is the consequent cost in police overtime in each police cell on Merseyside for these duties; how many police officers are being taken off other duties for these purposes; and what reasons he has established for the trends in these figures.
§ Mr. Peter LloydFrom 1 January 1993 to 5 February 1993 an average total of 30 prisoners were held each night in police stations in the Merseyside area. The use of police cells ceased on 6 February 1993.
Police cells in the Merseyside area came into use again on 20 February 1994, as follows: nights for which prisoners were held in police cells, for the months of January and February, broken down by police authority, and the cost to each authority.
§ 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 Derek Lewis to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 10 March 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of prisoner nights for which prisoners were held in police cells in January and February.
Details are as follows:
355W
Month Prisoner nights Police force January 1994 16 Greater Manchester February 1994 3,394 Greater Manchester February 1994 474 Merseyside
Month Prisoner nights Police force February 1994 315 Lancashire February 1994 156 Humberside February 1994 139 South Yorkshire February 1994 91 Northumbria February 1994 3 Cumbria Information about costs is not yet available. The Prison Service will deal with reimbursement of expenditure incurrerd by police in accordance with the provisions of Home Office Circular 36/1993, issued on 6 October 1993 to Clerks to Police Authorities and Chief Officers of Police.