HC Deb 20 June 1984 vol 62 c159W
Mr. Sumberg

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested by the police on the picket lines in connection with the current mining dispute to the latest available date; how many of those arrested were employed by the National Coal Board; and, of those arrested who were not so employed, what are their occupations.

Mr. Hurd

The most recent information available centrally about the occupations of people arrested in England and Wales in connection with the miners' dispute relates to the period 14 March to 12 June and is as follows:

Occupation of person arrested Number of arrests
Miner 2,906
Retired miner 1
Member of Parliament 1
Transport worker 3
Student 35
Health worker 2
Manual worker 31
Non-manual worker 7
Housewife 5
Unemployed 21
Retired (non-miner) 1
Not known/not given 143
Total 3,156

Mr. Corbyn

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which sub-category of the stolen and suspect vehicle index of the police national computer the registration numbers of vehicles belonging to miners involved in the current dispute have been placed.

Mr. Hurd

From inquiries made of chief officers of police in the areas concerned, I understand that the registration numbers of some vehicles used by pickets in the current dispute have been entered in the stolen and suspect vehicles index under the category of vehicles seen or checked in noteworthy circumstances. This category is regularly weeded of records entered 14 days or more previously, unless there has been a further recorded sighting of the vehicle.