§ 12. Mr. David EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have committed murder since their release from prison since 1979.
§ Mr. MacleanEight murderers released on licence since 1979 have been convicted of a subsequent murder—[Interruption.]
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. Did the hon. Gentleman hear the reply?
§ Madam SpeakerWill the Minister please repeat it?
§ Mr. MacleanEight murderers released on licence since 1979 have been convicted of a subsequent murder.
§ Mr. EvansIs the Minister aware that more than 3,000 people have committed murder since 1965, and that if the British people had been Home Secretaries, they would have hanged the lot of them: in other words, their feet would not have touched the ground? Can the Minister tell me that life means life? Can he tell me which Government were in power in 1965, when the death penalty was abolished? Can he tell me which Government, in 1978, halved the police constables' pay rise and deliberately kept the police force 8,000 short? If he wants a clue, it was that lot opposite.
§ Madam SpeakerDo your best with that, Mr. Maclean.
§ Mr. MacleanI think that society has suffered a great deal since those days when the noble Lord Jenkins said that the permissive society is the civilised society, and made the changes that my hon. Friend describes.