asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the most recent figure for persons in official custody because bail could not be granted for lack of a fixed address, and how this compares with the previous two years; and what are the capacity and locations of the four new bail hostels that are in preparation.

I regret that information about persons not granted bail for lack of a fixed address is not available centrally. The available information about magistrates' reasons for refusing bail is in Table 8.10 of the Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1979 (Cmnd. 8098).New bail hostels are in preparation at Cleveland (12 places), Stafford (12 places), St. Alban's (15 places) and West Midlands (about 15 places).