§ Mr. CallaghanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current number of remand prisoners(a) nationally and (b) in the Greater Manchester area who have been held in custody for a period in excess of three months. [18255]
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility for this matter 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 Mr. Jim Callaghan, dated 12 March 1996:
536WThe Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question asking for the current number of remand prisoners (a) nationally and (b) in the Greater Manchester area who have been held in custody for a period in excess of three months.The latest information is for 30 June 1995. On that date, 4,230 remand prisoners in England and Wales had first been remanded to custody more than three months previously. This figure includes both those who are awaiting trial and those who have been convicted and are awaiting sentence. The period since first remand into custody includes any intervening time spent on bail into prison. 265 of these remand prisoners were held in either Manchester prison or Hindley remand centre.