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Mr. Stephen Ross
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the present subsistence allowance paid to prisoners on discharge in the United Kingdom; and when it was last increased;(2) what is the current value in real terms of a discharged prisoner's subsistence allowance compared with the years 1968, 1958 and 1948, using 1978 as a base.
Dr. Summerskill
Discharge grants in England and Wales are reviewed annually. The current rates, from 13th November 1978, are £31 for a homeless prisoner and £13.90 for a prisoner who does not have to find accommodation. These rates would represent figures of £8.74 and £3.92 in 1968, when a single rate of grant of £4 was payable. No grant was payable in 1958 and 1948.