§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has commissioned into the link between the black market in stolen or otherwise tainted cultural objects and organised crime: and if he will make a statement. [185679]
§ Caroline FlintWe commissioned independent consultants to carry out an Options Appraisal on the potential establishment of a database of stolen or illegally removed cultural items. As part of that work, the consultants spoke to the police and others in the public and private sectors about the link with organised crime and the likely impact of such a database on crime levels. This work produced no evidence that a database of stolen cultural items will reduce crime, nor any data on the extent of organised crime involvement. This confirms the evidence we gave to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on 11 November 2003.
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§ Paul GogginsInformation on the total number of autopsies (post-mortem examinations) in the UK is not collected centrally. The recording of information at the time of registration of death is not considered to be sufficiently reliable to give definite figures or to monitor trends.
Information on post-mortem examinations other than those ordered by a coroner or procurator fiscal is not available for Scotland and Northern Ireland, and is only available for England and Wales since 1997. Figures are given in the first column of the table.
The table also gives (where known), for each year since 1993, the number of post-mortem examinations conducted in those deaths which were investigated by coroners in England and Wales, and in Northern Ireland, and by Procurators Fiscal in Scotland; and in the last column, in the coroner's district of the western part of West Yorkshire metropolitan county (which includes both Huddersfield and Kirklees).
Information on post-mortem examinations carried out in Huddersfield and Kirklees in deaths where the coroner was not involved is not available.