§ Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reductions have taken place in the statistical services available to his Department; what statistics previously available will either (a) no longer be available or (b) be available in a modified form; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WhitelawI refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to a question by the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, North-East (Mrs. Short) on 8 May—[Official Report, c. 157–158].
- (a) Statistics will no longer be available on violence in marriage, drowning accidents, detoxification centres, serious offences involving drugs—except for offences under the misuse of drugs legislation—senior attendance centres and entry clearance from Foreign and Commonwealth posts outside the Indian Sub-continent.
- (b) There will be modifications in the statistics available on the prison population, police strength, domestic court proceedings, landings of EC nationals, liquor licensing and the work of coroners.
As stated in the White Paper on Government statistical services—Cmnd. 8236—the guiding principle has been to reduce or stop those statistical collections which do not justify their cost, and to retain those statistics essential for government.