§ Fiona MactaggartTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) male and (b) female prisoners were remanded in custody to await trial or sentence in 1997; what was the average daily number on remand; and what percentage subsequently received custodial sentences. [52838]
§ Mr. George HowarthIn 1997, 58,092 males and 3,974 females were remanded in custody awaiting trial. 33,988 convicted males and 2,426 convicted females were remanded in custody awaiting sentence. The average monthly remand population in 1997 was 8,057 untried males and 3,475 convicted unsentenced males. The corresponding figures for females were 396 and 203 respectively.
Of those remanded in custody at some stage in magistrates' courts proceedings, provisional information shows that 46 per cent. of males and 31 per cent. of females were sentenced to immediate custody.
§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what data his Department has collated on the average time spent by prisoners on remand in custody awaiting trial over each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [54027]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe information requested is given in the table. Information on the estimated average number of days in custody for untried prisoners is published in "Prison statistics England and Wales" (table 2.1 of the 1996 edition, Cm 3732), a copy of which is in the Library. Information for 1997 has been taken from draft tables prepared for the 1997 edition of "Prison statistics England and Wales" which is due to be published today.
Estimated average time spent in custody for untried prisoners in prisons in England and Wales, 1993–97 Estimated average number of days in custody1, 2 Year Males Females 1993 55 39 1994 59 44 1995 56 43 1996 53 41 1997 51 36 1 Time spent in Prison Service establishments before conviction, acquittal etc. 2 Estimated from number of receptions and average population