§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people were breathalysed over Christmas and the new year within the Metropolitan police area; and of those how many were found positive;
(2) if he will call for reports from each chief constable as to the number of people tested for drunken driving over the Christmas period and as to the number of positive tests; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Giles ShawPolice forces submit, throughout the year, returns to the Home Office on breath tests, but the returns take some time to compile and process and all police forces have not yet compiled their figures covering the Christmas and new year period. Considerable disruption and expense would be involved in asking them to alter the standing arrangements for submitting these returns now and bringing forward the normal schedule for processing them. When all the returns for 1984 have been received, it is planned to publish a statistical bulletin on the use of breath tests in 1984, on similar lines to "Statistics of Breath Tests, England and Wales 1983" (Issue 20/84), a copy of which is in the Library of the House. This will include a special analysis of the figures over the Christmas period and will be available well before arrangments have to be made for next year.
§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions for drink-driving offences there have been in each of the past five years and to date in 1985.
82W
§ Mr. MellorThe available information is for findings of guilt at all courts and is given in table 5 of the Home Office statistical bulletin, "Offences Relating to Motor Vehicles, England and Wales 1983" (Issue 24/84), a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Information for 1984 and 1985 is not yet available.