§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many persons who had defaulted on a fine were jailed in England and Wales during 1994; and what was the average sentence length; [3437]
(2) how many persons have been jailed in England and Wales following default of a fine to date during 1995. [3438]
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility for these matters has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Butler to Dr. Lynne Jones, dated 11 December 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Questions about fine defaulters.Provisional information shows that 22,469 people were received into Prison Service establishments in England and Wales for non-payment of a fine in 1994. The average time imposed was around 18 days.Provisional information for January-October 1995 shows that 17,650 people were received into Prison Service establishments in England and Wales for non-payment of a fine.On 31 October 1995, the last available date for which figures are available, there were 414 fine defaulters in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales.