§ Lord Windleshamasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the estimated prison population, including persons remanded in custody or held in police cells, at the years ending 31st December 1996 and 31st December 1997.
§ Baroness BlatchResponsibility 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.
49WALetter to Lord Windlesham from the Director General of the Prison Service, Mr. Richard Tilt.
Lady Blatch has asked me to reply to your recent question asking what is the estimated prison population, including persons remanded in custody or held in police cells, at the years ending 31 December 1996 and 31 December 1997.
The prison population as at 29 November 1996 was 58,415. The latest projection, produced in September, indicated that the population might rise to an average of 60,400 in 1997, with seasonal variations throughout the year. The population on 31 December each year is depressed by the Christmas/New Year holidays.
On 31 December 1996 the population is projected to be around 56,000 and on 31 December 1997 the projection is 59,900. The projections are based on current trends but circumstances can change and past experience suggests that it would be unwise to rely too heavily upon the projection.