§ Mr. PearsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current average time a prisoner spends on remand; and what was the figure in 1979. [28108]
§ Miss Ann WiddecombeResponsibility 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 A. J. Butler to Mr. Ian Pearson, dated 9 May 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about the current average time a prisoner spends on remand; and what was the figure in 1979.
248WInformation for 1995 is given in the attached table. Information for 1979 is published in table 2.1 of the 1989 edition of 'Prison statistics, England and Wales', a copy of which is in the Library.
Estimated average time spent in custody for untried and convicted unsentenced prisoners, in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales in 1995(1) by sex.
Type of custody Estimated average number of days in custody4 Male Female Untried2 56 43 Convicted Unsentenced1 34 30 1Provisional figures. 2Time spent in custody before conviction. 3Time spent in custody after conviction before sentence. 4Estimated from number of receptions and average population in 1995.