HC Deb 18 January 1984 vol 52 cc263-5W
Mr. McNamara

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give separately for magistrates' courts and Crown courts for each year since 1979 the

Constabulary and British Army in Northern Ireland for each year since 1969, giving details of the number of effectives in each of the following categories: Royal Ulster Constabulary regulars, Royal Ulster Constabulary full-time reserves, Royal Ulster Constabulary part-time reserves, Ulster Defence Regiment regular battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment part-time battalion, British Army and British Territorial Army.

Mr. Scott

The strengths of the Army, Territorial Army and RUC and its Reserve are as follows:

number of cases involving non-scheduled offences in which pleas of not guilty were entered; in how many of these cases verdicts of not guilty were returned; and in how many of these cases trial was by jury.

Mr. Scott

The relevant information on all cases in 1983 is not yet available but that for 1979–82 is as follows:

Crown Courts Magistrates' Courts
Year Pleas 'Not Guilty' entered Verdicts 'Not Guilty' returned Pleas 'Not Guilty' entered Verdicts 'Not Guilty' returned
1979 130 93
1980 113 74 3,025 1,321
1981 141 96 5,214 2,249
1982 145 81 6,119 2,532

In all non-scheduled cases tried in the Crown courts, trial is by jury.

Notes

  1. 1. The figures refer only to the principal offence.
  2. 2. The figures for the magistrates' courts include motoring offences.
  3. 3. Figures for 1979 for magistrates' courts are not readily available owing to the introduction that year of a change in the method of recording the relevant statistics.