HC Deb 09 July 2002 vol 388 cc899-900W
Mr. Kaufman

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason he has not yet replied to the letter to him dated 18 March from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to an Afghan asylum-seeker ref. DEV/OU/1506. [66486]

Mr. Blunkett

I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I provided to him on 2 July 2002,Official Report, column 264W.

Mr. Salmond

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan of 1 May on animal experimentation. [67648]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth

A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 8 May 2002.

Mr. Kaufman

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to use their guns in an irresponsible or criminal manner. The question of introducing a licensing regime for air weapons as recommended by the Home Affairs Select Committee has been carefully considered by the Government. As the committee recognised, there are resource implications in setting up and running an effective registration system and we are reviewing these practical issues as part of an overall assessment of the effectiveness of the existing wide range of controls governing the sale and use of air weapons.

Information about the number of offences involving the use of air weapons, and the number of resulting injuries in each year since 1997, is given in the following table:

him dated 30 April from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. F. A. Malik. [66209]

Mr. Blunkett

I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 27 June 2002.

Mr. Kaufman

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason he has not yet replied to the letter to him dated 9 April, from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Rahemi Aminullah. [66487]

Mr. Blunkett

I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I provided to him on 1 July 2002,Official Report, column 180W.

Mr. Kaufman

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason he has not yet replied to the letter to him dated 22 April from the right hon. Member for Manchester. Gorton with regard to Mr. S. Balekey. [66485]

Mr. Blunkett

My right hon. Friend's letter of 22 April 2002 was not received by the Home Office until 7 June 2002. It was then immediately forwarded to the Immigration and Nationality Department (Integrated Casework Directorate) for consideration.

A reply was sent to my office for signature on 27 June 2002, and despatched on the same date.