§ 1. Mr. SpellerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many shotgun licences are issued currently to young people below the age of 15 years; and if he will make it his policy to raise the basic age to 16 years.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Douglas Hogg)Information on the number of shotgun certificates held by persons below the age of 15 is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. In relation to shotguns, there are no specified age restrictions, but age is one factor which the chief officer of police concerned may take into account in deciding whether to grant a certificate. We have no plans to introduce a statutory age limit.
§ Mr. SpellerI thank my hon. Friend for that helpful answer, but is he aware that at present it is an offence to sell or hire a shotgun to anyone under 17, or to make a gift of a shotgun to anyone under 15? A youngster under 15 may not purchase a shotgun and may not carry an assembled shotgun in a private place. Is he aware that in the west country a shotgun is a tool of trade for many people in the agricultural profession? I do not suggest any change, but is it not logical to have a base limit so that we can clean up a particularly uncertain part of the law?
§ Mr. HoggWe have no plans to make further changes. As my hon. Friend has already made plain, there are a number of existing safeguards which we think are sufficient.
§ Sir Hector MonroDoes my hon. Friend agree that as youngsters can fire a shotgun only under the careful supervision of an adult, they should be taught to use guns early, and therefore learn the importance of safety from an early age?
§ Mr. HoggMy hon. Friend makes a very important point, with which I agree. As he has made plain, persons under the age of 15 can use a shotgun only under the supervision of someone who is 21 or older.