asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how much is the current grant paid to prisoners on release;(2) under what rule prisoners' discharge grants can be reduced if they save during their sentences; and whether he has any plans to amend the rule so as to provide a greater incentive to save.

The current rates of grant are £46·65 for a homeless prisoner and £19·20 for a prisoner who does not have to find accommodation. The amounts are not reduced if a prisoner saves from his earnings during sentence as the purpose of the grant is to replace the supplementary benefit which he would otherwise be entitled to claim from the Department of Health and Social Security for the first week after release. There are no plans to change the present arrangements.