§ Mr. Skinnerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of child battering have been recorded in the following areas in the last 12 months: Wales, Scotland, Merseyside, West Midlands and North-East England.
§ Mr. BrittanThe information requested is not available. In the statistics of serious offences recorded by the police, offences involving acts of child battering cannot he distinguished from other offences of wounding or assault. However, information on the age of victims of offences currently recorded as homicide is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales"—table 9.4 of the volume for 1978, Cmnd 7670.
ENGLAND AND WALES Year Metropolitan Police District Rest of England and Wales Number of offences Cleared up rate Number of offences Clear-up rate Recorded Cleared up Recorded Cleared up '000 '000 Per cent. '000 '000 Per cent 1969 … … 77.8 14.0 18 342.9 127.1 37 1970 … … 76.7 14.8 19 354.8 141.1 40 1971 … … 79.9 16.0 20 371.6 149.2 40 1972 … … 79.2 15.6 20 359.5 145.0 40 1973 … … 74.2 13.6 18 319.0 133.3 42 1974 … … 88.2 15.0 17 395.7 149.3 38 1975 … … 99.6 15.1 15 422.3 160.5 38 1976 … … 108.3 14.7 14 407.2 158.8 39 1977 … … 124.5 15.1 12 479.5 173.2 36 1978 … … 122.5 13.9 11 443.2 167.0 38 1979 … … 118.2 13.9 12 430.9 158.4 37