asked the Minister for Justice the total number of accused who spent time in prison because they could not meet the conditions regarding bailsmen and bail money laid down by the courts in each of the last five years.
Written Answers. - Prison Statistics.
404.
The particulars sought are not readily available and the cost of specially compiling them by reference to court and prison records would be disproportionate to the value of the information required.
If the research and statistics unit to which I referred in my answer on 1 November to question No. 350 is established, the provision of statistics of this kind may become much easier.
405.
asked the Minister for Justice the total number of people who were remanded in prison custody in each of the last five years.
The numbers committed to prison and St. Patrick's Institution on remand or for trial in each of the years from 1974 to 1978 inclusive were: 1974, 3,004; 1975, 2,563; 1976, 2,597; 1977, 2,761; 1978, 2,852.