§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether the presently proposed fees for(a) firearms certificates and (b) shotgun certificates cover the administration of both the 1968 and 1988 Firearms Acts;
(2) what proportion, or amounts of the presently proposed fees increase for (a) firearms certificates and (b) shotgun certificates are related to the Firearms Act 1988.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe proposed fees do not include any costs arising from the administration of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988. These will be assessed during the course of the multi-force scrutiny being undertaken by the Association of Chief Police Officers.
§ Mr. CorbettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he consulted the Firearms556W Consultative Committee before proposing increases in fees for firearms and shotgun certificates and their renewal or variation.
§ Mr. Peter LloydNo. It is for the Government to decide the level at which firearms fees should be set based on its policy of full recovery of the costs of administering the firearms licensing system. However, any views that the Firearms Consultative Committee may wish to put to the Home Secretary about the way in which firearms controls are administered will be carefully taken into account.
§ Mr. CorbettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will place in the Library a copy of the views of the Firearms Consultative Committee on his proposals to increase fees for the issue, renewal or variation of firearms and shotgun licences.
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§ Mr. Peter LloydThe Firearms Consultative Committee is an independent statutory body. It is for the committee itself to decide whether any views which it may have on the proposed fees increase should be included in the annual report which it is required to make to my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary and which, once made, will be laid before Parliament.
§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he intends to introduce further increases in the fees for(a) firearms certificates and (b) shot gun certificates this year.
§ Mr. Peter LloydWe propose to adjust the fees for both firearm and shot gun certificates in the light of the findings of a multi-force scrutiny of the firearms licensing system being undertaken by the Association of Chief Police Officers. The results of the scrutiny should be known later this year, though it is not possible at this stage to say whether any further increases in fees will be introduced in 1990.