HC Deb 17 January 1983 vol 35 c14W
Mr. Peter Robinson

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many illegal gambling machines have been seized by the Royal Ulster Constabulary in each of the last four years in Northern Ireland;

(2) how much money has been recovered from illegal gambling machines seized by the Royal Ulster Constabulary in each of the last four years.

Mr. John Patten

The information is as follows:

Year Number of machines seized Amount recovered £
1979 16 1,718.11
1980 9 1,308.25
1981 214 7,136.26
1982 285 18,652.05

Mr. Peter Robinson

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the extent to which paramilitary groups benefit from the income from illegal gambling machines.

Mr. John Patten

I regret that it is not possible to give reliable estimates of the income from this source.