§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been imprisoned by magistrates courts for non-payment of(a) fines, (b) council tax and (c) community charge in England and Wales in each of the last three years. [6445]
§ Ms Joyce QuinThe available information on receptions into prisons in England and Wales of fine defaulters, and those committed for non-payment of council tax/community charge by magistrates or other courts, are given in the attached table. This information is also published in "Prison Statistics, England and Wales" (tables 1.12 and 6.3 of the 1995 edition, Cm 3355), a copy of which is in the Library. No information is available by type of court for persons committed to custody for non-payment of council tax or community charge, as in nearly all cases no court code had been recorded centrally.
Fine defaulters and those committed for non-payment of community charge/council tax received into prisons in England
and Wales by type of court, 1994–1996
Fine defaulters Year Crown Court Magistrates' Court Other Court Committed for non-payment of Council tax/Community charge (All Courts) 1994 90 22,342 37 1,363 1995 87 20,035 35 812 19961 59 8,472 24 459 1 Provisional figures.