§ 18. Mr. Beggsasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cars were stolen in Northern Ireland; and how many of those were recovered in west Belfast in the 12 months ended October 1983 and October 1982, respectively.
§ Mr. ScottDuring the period 1 November 1982 to 31 October 1983, a total of 6,198 vehicles were stolen or hijacked in Northern Ireland. The total for the same period in 1981–82 was 5,151. Records show that the number of vehicles recovered in those periods total 5,615 and 4,664, respectively. Information as to how many of these vehicles were recovered in west Belfast is not, however, readily available from existing police records and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.