HC Deb 04 March 1976 vol 906 cc674-5W
Mr. Faulds

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will take up the suggestions in "Murder, Manslaughter and Infanticide" published by the Office of Health Economics to publish homicide statistics in such a way as to enable a breakdown of the social and cultural background of both victim and offender to be made in order to throw more light on reform factors.

Mr. Alexander W. Lyon

No. Homicide statistics are already broken down into considerable detail, both in the annual criminal statistics and in occasional research studies published by our Department. Information regarding social class and cultural background is often unreliable, and attempts to obtain more reliable information on a universal and continuing basis would divert police effort from its main objectives and would be impracticable save at disproportionate cost. We shall, however, keep in mind the possibility of obtaining and publishing such information on a selective basis in any future studies which the Home Office may conduct or support in this field.