---

Criminal Proceedings

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of time was between arrest and (i) commencement of trial and (ii) sentence for (a) young offenders and (b) adult offenders in the last year. [144440]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The information is not available in the form requested. For defendants in indictable cases in magistrates courts in England and Wales for the period October 1999 to September 2000, the average time for young offenders from arrest to (i) date trial started or guilty plea accepted was 54 days and (ii) sentence was 66 days. For adults the average time from charge/laying of information to (i) date trial started or guilty plea accepted was 48 days and (ii) sentence was 58 days.

For summary matters in magistrates courts in England and Wales for the period October 1999 to September 2000, the average time for young offenders from arrest to (i) date trial started or guilty plea accepted was 50 days and (ii) sentence was 60 days. For adults the average time from charge/laying of information to (i) date trial started or guilty plea accepted was 53 days and (ii) sentence was 57 days.

Buckingham Palace

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrests were made, and under what powers, by Royal Parks Constabulary police officers in connection with the microlight landing in Buckingham Palace grounds on 28 December. [144626]

Mr. Charles Clarke: A 36-year-old man was arrested on the Buckingham Palace forecourt by a police officer in the Royalty Protection Division of the Metropolitan Police Service under section 25 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. He has been released on bail and at this stage has not been charged.

Prison Service (Education)

Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent teacher/ lecturer posts there were in the Prison Service (a) in total and (b) per thousand prisoners in each of the past 20 years; and if he will make a statement. [144353]

Mr. Boateng: Since 1993, education in prisons has been provided by contractors, mostly further education colleges. Prior to this it was provided by local education authorities. Information on the number of teachers employed by education providers to deliver eduction in prisons over the last 20 years is not held centrally.

Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the education budget was for the Prison Service in each of the past 20 years; and if he will make a statement. [144348]

Mr. Boateng: Expenditure on prison education is set out in the table. It does not include expenditure on education in contractually managed prisons.

8 Jan 2001 : Column: 430W

Expenditure on prison education

				£
Year	Payments to education providers	Payments for libraries	Educational materials	Total
1979-80	5,747,106	112,637	550,630	6,410,373
1980-81	7,839,615	131,813	542,408	8,513,836
1981-82	7,760,310	129,656	571,714	8,461,680
1982-83	8,836,640	156,300	760,410	9,753,350
1983-84	9,854,906	158,822	832,363	10,846,091
1984-85	10,429,129	3,547	1,156,009	11,588,685
1985-86	10,849,085	258,251	1,068,983	12,176,319
1986-87	13,445,382	362,591	1,316,690	15,124,663
1987-88	14,984,168	319,560	1,615,321	16,919,049
1988-89	17,394,787	334,702	1,757,317	19,486,806
1989-90	20,235,312	360,514	2,287,548	22,883,374
1990-91	22,906,556	524,832	2,213,519	25,644,907
1991-92	26,098,455	474,457	2,799,836	29,372,748
1992-93	28,383,039	550,376	2,293,757	31,227,172
1993-94	28,006,230	564,583	2,518,220	31,089,033
1994-95	33,043,804	985,738	2,727,418	36,756,960
1995-96	33,547,723	1,014,943	2,393,421	36,956,087
1996-97	31,206,539	1,029,010	2,271,829	34,507,378
1997-98	32,212,505	1,349,089	2,612,726	36,174,320
1998-99	34,812,737	1,673,773	2,563,365	39,049,875
1999-2000	42,223,514	1,784,587	3,437,844	47,445,945

Note:

Figures may not all be on like for like basis. For example, the spend in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99 is net of VAT whereas for earlier years and for 1999-2000 it includes VAT payments, where applicable.

Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) GCSEs, (b) A levels, (c) NVQs, (d) ordinary degrees, (e) Master's degrees and (f) doctorates were gained by prisoners in each of the last 20 years; how many prisoners per 1,000 each category represents; and if he will make a statement. [144352]

Mr. Boateng: The information requested is not available.

Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average recidivism rate was for (a) all prisoners and (b) those prisoners who have attained a degree in prison in each of the last 20 years; and if he will make a statement. [144351]

Mr. Boateng: Two-year reconviction rates for standard list offences following release from prison are shown in the table. The rates are based on a sample of discharges from prison each year. Rates for 1978 and 1979 exclude prisoners discharged from sentences of three months or less. Figures for 1987 onwards are not directly comparable with those for earlier years owing to a change in methodology used to calculate the statistics; if the old methodology were used it is estimated that these reconviction rates would be five to six percentage points lower. A change in the coverage of standard list offences has resulted in an increase in the reconviction rates for 1994 onwards by between one and two percentage points. The 1997 rate is based on a sample of discharges during the first quarter of the year.

Data are not collected centrally to enable reconviction rates for prisoners that have attained a degree while in prison to be calculated.

8 Jan 2001 : Column: 431W

Prisoners reconvicted for standard list offences by year of discharge within two years of discharge from prison

Year of discharge	Percentage reconvicted
1978(41)	58
1979(41)	58
1980	59
1981	58
1982	59
1983	56
1984	54
1985	52
1986	50
1987(42)	57
1988(42)	55
1989(42)	53
1990(42)	52
1991(42)	53
1992(42)	51
1993(42)	53
1994(42),(43)	56
1995(42),(43)	58
1996(42),(43)	57
1997(42),(43),(44)	57

⁽⁴¹⁾ Rates for 1978 and 1979 excludes those discharged from sentences of three months or less

⁽⁴²⁾ Rates for 1987 and after are not directly comparable with those for earlier years owing to a change in methodology. If the old methodology had been followed the rates would have been about five to six percentage points lower.

⁽⁴³⁾ A change in the coverage of standard list offences has resulted in an increase in the reconviction rates from 1994 onwards by between one and two percentage points.

⁽⁴⁴⁾ The 1997 rate is based on a sample of discharges between January and March 1997

Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours were spent per week on average in education by prisoners in each of the last 20 years; and if he will make a statement. [144350]

Mr. Boateng: The total number of student hours for each year since 1995 is set out in the table. Information relating to earlier years is not available. This information relates only to teaching provided by education providers in public sector prisons and does not include private study, distance learning or vocational training. It is therefore not possible to provide a meaningful figure for the number of hours spent in education by prisoners.

Year	Total number of student hours
1995	9,413,457
1996	8,947,305
1997	8,879,747
1998	9,483,889
1999-2000	9,668,535

New Prison (Wales)

Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress is being made with regard to the establishment of a prison in northern or central Wales; and if he will make a statement. [142645]

Mr. Boateng: The Prison Service currently has no plans to build a prison in northern or central Wales. The Prison Service view is that new prison development should primarily be concentrated in areas with the greatest

8 Jan 2001 : Column: 432W

shortage of places. Currently these are London, the English midlands and the north-west. We continue, however, to keep the situation under review.

---