§ Ms RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in England and Wales were serving sentences for fine defaults at the latest available date, given(a) as an absolute number and (b) as a percentage of the prison population, and broken down by gender.
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§ 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 A. J. Butler to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 26 May 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question asking how many prisoners in England and Wales were serving sentences for fine defaults at the latest available date, given (a) as an absolute number and (b) as a percentage of the prison population, and broken down by gender.On 31 March 1994 there were 585 fine defaulters (557 Males and 28 Females) held in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales. They accounted for 1.2 per cent. of the total prison population (including prisoners held in police cells). Male fine defaulters accounted for 1.2 per cent. of the male prison population; the equivalent female percentage was 1.6 per cent.