§ 9. Mr. Sutcliffeasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons, arrested for housebreaking and other crimes of violence during 1947 and 1948, did not possess identity cards; and how many were found to be deserters from His Majesty's Forces.
§ Mr. EdeI regret that the information is not available. As regards the first part of the Question, however, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Deritend (Mr. Longden) on 3rd February last, in which I indicated that there appeared to be no close connection between crimes of violence on the one hand and identity card offences on the other. As regards the second part of the Question, I have no reason to think that any substantial proportion of the total number of crimes of violence in this country is attributable to deserters.