Written question asked by David Lidington (Conservative) on Tuesday, 12 December 2000, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 December 2000. It was answered by Charles Clarke (Labour) on Monday, 18 December 2000 on behalf of the Home Office.

Home Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in how many cases sanctions available to the courts in the event that a person convicted of a criminal offence fails to pay a fine were used in each of the last five years broken down by sanction; and if he will make a statement. - Includes table, fact that non-imprisonment information not available centrally, and ref to "New measures for fine defaulters, persistent petty offenders and others". (Holding answer 15 December 2000).

Answer: Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases sanctions available to the courts in the event that a person convicted of a criminal offence fails to pay a fine were used in each of the last five years broken down by sanction; and if he will make a statement. [143004] Mr. Charles Clarke: [holding answer 15 December, 2000]: Apart from information about the number of people imprisoned for fine default, the information requested is not available centrally. The most recent available figures for imprisonment are given in the table. Receptions of adult fine defaulters into prison in England and Wales _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Male Female 1995 18,787 1,370 1996 8,094 461 1997 5,964 372 1998 5,048 326 1999 3,512 215 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Source: Prison Statistics for England and Wales, 1999, table 1.14 Trials of provisions in the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 made additional disposals available to a small number of courts for a limited period to deal with fine defaulters who would otherwise have gone to prison. The use made of those disposals by the courts was published in the report of the trials, "New measures for fine defaulters, persistent petty offenders and others", in February 2000. A decision has not yet been taken about making these disposals available nationally.

Secondary information