§ Miss Maynardasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many formal police complaints have been received in the last two years in relation to incidents where plastic bullets have been involved; how many of these have been upheld; and what disciplinary action has been taken against the officers against whom complaints were made.
§ Mr. ScottI would refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Riverside (Mr. Parry) on 17 December at column61.
§ Miss Maynardasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many claims for damages have been made in the last two years for alleged injury by plastic bullets fired by (a) the Army and (b) the Royal Ulster Constabulary in Northern Ireland; what have been the results so far; in how many cases liability has been admitted; in how many cases the court has made the finding of liability; and what is the total sum of damages paid to date.
§ Mr. ScottSince 1 January 1983, 32 claims have been made against the police authority for Northern Ireland in respect of injuries allegedly caused by plastic baton rounds fired by the police. To date only one has been brought to a conclusion. This was settled out of court, for an undisclosed sum, without an admission of liability.
Information in respect of similar claims against the Army and in respect of any applications under criminal injuries compensation legislation is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.