§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) plastic bullets and (b) rubber bullets were used in Northern Ireland in each year since their first use there; what was the average time between remand and trial for a person charged with scheduled offences and remanded without bail in Northern Ireland for the year 1982; how many people (a) were charged with scheduled offences, (b) pleaded guilty to all or some charges, (c) pleaded not guilty to all or some such charges, (d) entered no plea or refused to recognise the courts, (e) were found guilty of all or some such charges, (f) were found not guilty of all or some such charges, and (g) how many cases were dismissed in each of the years 1980, 1981 and 1982.
§ Mr. ScottThe information requested about plastic and rubber baton rounds is as follows:
299W
No. of Baton Rounds Fired Year Rubber Plastic 1970+ 238 — 1971+ 16,752 — 1972+ 23,363 — 1973+ 12,724 42 1974+ 2,612 216 1975+ 145 3,556 1976+ — 3,464
No. of Baton Rounds Fired Year Rubber Plastic 1977+ — 1,490 1978+ — 1,743 1979+ — 1,271 1980+ — 1,231 1981 — 29,695 1982 — 489 1983 (to 26 October) — 651 Totals 55,834 43,848 +Army figures only. Although the police acquired plastic baton rounds in October 1978, it is not possible without disproportionate cost to identify the number of baton rounds fired by the police prior to 1981.
The average time between remand and trial for a person charged with scheduled offences and remanded without bail in Northern Ireland for the year 1982 was 42.40 weeks.
The further information on people charged with scheduled offences is not available in the form requested but the following details are available. The number of persons proceeded against for scheduled offences in each of the years 1980, 1981 and 1982 was 643, 624 and 813 respectively. The records available on pleas and findings refer only to the principal offence.
On this basis, the number of persons who pleaded guilty to a scheduled offence in the years in question were 523, 514, and 652 respectively; and those pleading not guilty were 120, 110 and 161 respectively. Figures are not available for persons who entered no plea or refused to recognise the court, such persons are taken as pleading "not guilty". The number of persons found guilty of a scheduled offence in the years 1980, 1981 and 1982 were 603, 587 and 756; and not guilty—40, 37 and 57 respectively.