§ Mr. Evelyn Kingasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many murders were committed in the last five years during the period when the death sentence was applicable; and how many have occurred in the last five years when the death sentence was not applicable.
§ Mr. John:The Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965 came into force on 9th November 1965. It is not possible in the absence of a court decision to distinguish between offences of murder, manslaughter and infanticide. Information on offences initially recorded by the police as homicide over the period 1957 to 1977 was published in Table 9.1 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1977 "—Cmnd. 7289.