§ Mr. Foulkesasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what use has been made of the detention powers in section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act to date.
§ Mr. RifkindThe detention powers in section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980 were designed to regulate by statute the questioning of suspects at a police station, a normal procedure in the investigation of crime. From 1 June 1981, when section 2 came into effect, to 31 October 1981, 8,290 persons were detained by Scottish police forces under the provisions of that section.
§ Mr. Maxtonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is yet in a position to make a statement on extending the use of tape recorders during interrogations carried out under section 2 of the Criminal Justice Act 1980.
§ Mr. RifkindAs part of the experiment currently being conducted in Dundee and Falkirk, interviews with persons detained under section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980 are tape-recorded. As I indicated in my reply today to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Garscadden (Mr. Dewar) I hope shortly to be in a position to make a further statement about the experiment.