§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of people imprisoned for non-payment of fines or other debts due to magistrates courts during the most recent year for which records are available.
§ 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 Mr. Llew Smith, dated 18 March 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your Question asking what was the total number of people imprisoned for non-payment of fines or other debts due to magistrates courts during the most recent year for which records are available.The latest available provisional information is for 1993. During that year 22,754 persons were received into Prison service establishments in England and Wales from Magistrates courts for non-payment of fines and non-criminal offences involving non-payment of debt: (these include non-payment of wife maintenance, child maintenance, arrears under an affiliation order, rates/community charge or "other" debts).
Receptions into Prison Service establishments, England and Wales by type of custody, 1992–931 Type of custody Year 1992 1993 Males Untried2 47,593 51,047 Convicted unsentenced2 19,099 30,038 Immediate custody2 48,968 49,530 Fine defaulters and non-criminal 21,917 25,646 Females Untried2 2,376 2,663 Convicted unsentenced2 1,178 1,566 Immediate custody2 2,198 2,382 Fine defaulters and non-criminal 1,189 1,590 1 Provisional figures. 2 A person initially received as untried and subsequently received as convicted unsentenced is counted in both sets of figures. A person subsequently received as a sentenced prisoner is counted separately in those figures.