Skip to main content

Prisoners (Life Sentences)

Volume 114: debated on Thursday 9 April 1987

The text on this page has been created from Hansard archive content, it may contain typographical errors.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many persons sentenced to life imprisonment or detention during Her Majesty's pleasure are currently serving such sentences in Scotland; and how many were serving such sentences (a) 10, (b) 20 and (c) 30 years ago.

At 31 December 1986, 414 persons were serving sentences of life imprisonment or detention during Her Majesty's pleasure. The corresponding figure for 31 December 1977 was 341. No comparable figures are available for earlier dates.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the average length of sentence served by prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment in Scotland.

The time spent in custody by persons released on licence from life sentences is given in appendix D of the report of the Parole Board for Scotland 1985, of which a copy follows:

Years detained in custody
Year of release6 to 77 to 88 to 99 to 1010 to 1111 to 1212 lo 1313 to 14Over 14Total
198323414112238
198411561115
19851154641123
TOTAL794592702517811284
1 Includes HMP cases.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what information his Department has from the general household survey of the percentage of the population in Scotland reporting chronic and acute sickness by social class or socio-economic group.

I have been asked to reply.

By age and socio-economic group—All persons
Scotland 1985
Socio-economic group1Age
0–1516–4445–6465 and overTotal
(a) Percentage who reported long-standing illness
Professional812(3)(4)13
Employers and Managers1115313821
Intermediate and junior non-manual915424324
Skilled manual and own account non-professional1621495829
Semi-skilled manual and personal service920445731
Unskilled manual(2)2532(26)36
All persons1218415527
(b) Percentage who reported limiting long-standing illness
Professional43(1)(3)5
Employers and Managers24183111
Intermediate and junior non-manual55283214
Skilled manual and own account non-professional79334518
Semi-skilled manual and personal service112344121
Unskilled manual(2)1823(24)31
All persons58284316
(c) Percentage who reported restricted activity
Professional1717(3)(nil)16
Employers and Managers201581414
Intermediate and junior non-manual910111311
Skilled manual and own account non-professional138121411
Semi-skilled manual and personal service96171711
Unskilled manual(nil)188(6)12
All persons1210121412
Base = 100 per cent.
Professional5369225149
Employer and Managers811388942350
Intermediate and junior non-manual7923510568487
Skilled manual and own account non-professional20931217973773
Semi-skilled manual and personal service7819011686470
Unskilled manual27554031153
All persons5471,0705683202,505
1 Married women whose husbands were in the household are classified according to their husband's occupation; children under 16 are classified according to their father's occupation. Members of the Armed Forces, persons in inadequately described occupations and all persons who have never worked are not shown as separate categories but are included in the figures for all persons.
( ) Indicates the actual numbers not percentages where the base is too small for the calculation of percentages.