§ BARONESS WOOTTON OF ABINGERMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government how many deaths in Great Britain are known to have been caused by the use of shot-guns since December, 1970, excluding cases of accident and suicide.]
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, HOME OFFICE (LORD WINDLESHAM)My Lords, the number of deaths caused by a shot-gun in cases of murder and man-slaughter known to the police in Great Britain in 1971 was 23.
§ BARONESS WOOTTON OF ABINGERMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that Answer. Is he able to say in how many cases the weapon was legally owned and in how many cases it was illegally owned? If he is not able to give that information now, can he let me have it, or, better still, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT?
§ LORD WINDLESHAMMy Lords, I will try to obtain that information for the noble Baroness. I do not have it at the moment. These statistics are not as yet available in the published criminal statistics, and are the result of a special survey to answer the noble Baroness's Question.
§ BARONESS WOOTTON OF ABINGERMy Lords, does the noble Lord accept that this is a reason for expediting, so far as possible, the inquiry which is now going on into the regulations concerning the use and possession of shot-guns?
§ LORD WINDLESHAMMy Lords, it is certainly a sombre figure which should be in the minds of those who are carrying out this review. Of course it is difficult, under any system of firearms control, to tell at the time when somebody applies for a certificate how he may behave later in the totally exceptional circumstances which lead to a death. A very quick and unconfirmed analysis of these figures shows, for example, the interesting fact that in every case in England and Wales the victim was known to the offender, and that in over half of them there was a close personal relationship.