§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been serving prison sentences for drugs offences in each year since 1979; and what percentage of the prison population this represents in each reporting period. [56236]
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§ Beverley Hughes[holding answer 21 May 2002]: Data on the number of people in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales broken down by type of offence on 30 June is published each year in Prison Statistics England and Wales' available in the Library.
The Table shows the number of drug offenders received into Prison Service establishments in England and Wales in each year between 1992 (the earliest data available) and 2000 (the latest confirmed data available), and what percentage of the total sentenced receptions they represent in each year.
% Number of drug offenders received Percentage of total sentenced receptions 1992 3,636 5.2 1993 3,761 5.2 1994 3,953 4.7 1995 5,206 5.8 1996 6,412 7.7 1997 7,371 8.5 1998 7,655 8.4 1999 7,844 8.3 2000 7,353 7.8