asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he makes of the percentage of persons imprisoned in Scotland over the past five years in default of fine payments and for breach of the peace who were suitable for a non-custodial type of sentence if sufficient community-based non-custodial facilities existed.

The effect of extension of non-custodial facilities on the use of imprisonment must be a matter of conjecture, since it would remain for the court to decide in the individual case whether a sentence of imprisonment had to be imposed.