HL Deb 16 February 1995 vol 561 cc49-50WA
Baroness Faithfull

asked Her Majesty's Government:

On what date was the prison population of England and Wales at its highest recorded level and what was the number of (a) male and (b) female prisoners on that date.

Baroness Blatch

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 to Baroness Faithfull from the Director General of the Prison Service, Mr. Derek Lewis, dated 16 February 1995:

Lady Blatch has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking on what date was the prison population of England and Wales at its highest recorded level and what was the number of (a) male and (b) female prisoners on that date.

The prison population in England and Wales was at its highest on 17 July 1987, when it reached 51,239. Of these, 49,350 were male and 1,889 were female.