HC Deb 03 March 1981 vol 1000 cc67-8W
Mr. Robert Sheldon

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many gun licences have been issued in each of the past 10 years.

Mr. Mayhew

Annual statistics of firearm and shotgun certificates issued and renewed by chief officers of police are not collected centrally. The available information is as follows:

Certificates on Issue—England and Wales
Firearm certificates Shotgun certificates
1971 190,649 715,453
1974 185,865 766,952
1979 169,590 783,069

Mr. Canavan

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many gun licences are held (a) in England and (b) Wales; and what are these numbers per head of population.

Mr. Mayhew

Statistics of the numbers of firearm and shotgun certificates issued each year are not collected centrally. On 31 December 1979 there were 864,070 in force in England and 87,594 in Wales; a ratio per head of population of 1:54 and 1:32, respectively.