§ Mr. Frank CookTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the number of persons resident in the United Kingdom who are authorised to possess a firearm for their personal protection(a) under a certificate, permit or other form of authority issued in accordance with the Firearms Act 1968, (b) by virtue of being servants of the Crown and (c) by any other exemption or method of authorisation. [3295]
§ Mr. MichaelI have made no such estimate. Home Office guidance to the police in England, Wales and Scotland is that they should refuse applications for the grant of a firearm certificate for the applicant's protection or that of his premises. In Northern Ireland, there are approximately 11,000 people who hold certificates for firearms needed for personal protection. Information on the number of military personnel or other Crown servants currently authorised to retain service weapons for purposes of self-protection is not readily available.
§ Mr. CookTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many lives he estimates will be saved each year by the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997; and on what basis this estimate is made. [3297]
§ Mr. MichaelNo such estimate can be prepared. The intention of the Act is to reduce the risk to public safety of another outrage such as that committed at Dunblane primary school by someone using a lawfully held handgun.
§ Mr. CookTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to place in the Library at monthly intervals a memorandum setting out the type and number of firearms which have been surrendered in accordance with the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 but which have not been destroyed, the reasons for not destroying them, the person or body to whom they have or are to be transferred and the price which has or is to be paid for them. [3299]
§ Mr. MichaelNo. Police forces will retain handguns surrendered to them until compensation has been paid. We will report the overall outcome of the surrender exercise to the House but obtaining monthly reports on the lines suggested would be a time-consuming and expensive exercise which would not be justified. There will be no sales of surrendered handguns.
§ Mr. CookTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the total cost of introducing and implementing the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 and the present Firearms (Amendment) Bill. [3296]
510W
§ Mr. MichaelThe estimated total cost of implementing both the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 and the Firearms (Amendment) Bill is £169 million. Of this figure, £138 million is the estimated cost of implementing the prohibition on higher-calibre handguns contained in the Act which includes the cost of compensation payments for these, for their accessories and the police and central administration costs. The remaining £31 million is the estimated cost of implementing the prohibition of small-calibre handguns envisaged by the Bill, including the cost of compensation payments for them and their accessories.
§ Mr. CookTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements have been made for the destruction of firearms surrendered to the police in accordance with the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997. [3298]
§ Mr. MichaelThose firearms surrendered under the terms of the 1997 Act will be destroyed in accordance with local police arrangements. These will vary from force to force. A few firearms may be retained for police training purposes, and some may be taken by museums for public display.