§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of category A prisoners,(a) men and (b) women being held in prisons in England and Wales as of 1 March; and if he will list the category of offence of which such inmates were convicted.
§ 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. Tom Cox, dated 24 March 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of category A prisoners, men and women, being held in prisons in England and Wales. You also requested information about the category of offence of which such inmates were convicted.The following table gives the figures for sentenced and unsentenced category A prisoners as at 1 March 1994:
Sentenced Unsentenced Total Male 501 137 638 Female 2 1 3 Total 503 138 641 The offences of which these prisoners were convicted or stand charged include murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, serious sexual offences, robbery, firearms offences, offences involving explosions or explosives and serious drugs-related offences.