§ Mr. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of remand and convicted prisoners expected to be in police cells in Greater Manchester over Christmas.
§ Mr. Michael Forsyth[holding answer 24 November 1994]: Responsibility 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 Mr. Derek Lewis to Mr. Andrew F. Bennett, dated 25 November 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the estimated number of remand and convicted prisoners expected to be in police cells in Greater Manchester over Christmas.On 21 November this year there were 105 remand and 11 convicted prisoners in police cells in Greater Manchester. The number of prisoners held in police cells in Greater Manchester over Christmas will depend on how many prisoners are remanded or convicted by the courts during the preceding weeks. It is not possible to make a reliable forecast of this number.