§ Mr. Ron Daviesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in the light of recent disclosures of the contents of the report of Sir John McKay's working party on the administration of the Firearms Act 1968, he will now place a copy of the report in the Library; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Giles ShawI shall reply as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Ron Daviesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement concerning his Department's recent recommendations to chief officers of police with regard to the Firearms Act 1968 concerning the zeroing of rifles for general sporting purposes and vermin control.
§ Mr. Giles ShawAs a result of various representations, further consideration has been given to paragraph 21 of the report of the working party on the administration of the Firearms Act 1968 concerning territorial restrictions. Following consultation with the Association of Chief Police Officers, chief officers have been advised that the zeroing provision should be extended as a matter of course to those who hold certificates for vermin control and general sporting purposes as well as for deer shooting. All chief officers have been asked to amend the advice contained in the report accordingly.
§ Mr. Ron Daviesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement regarding his recent working party's report into the administration of the Firearms Act 1968, as to (a) when he proposes to call for submissions from responsible bodies and organisations, (b) by what date such submissions should be received for consideration, (c) which organisations he will ask for such submissions, (d) on what date the review will take place, (e) which organisations will be personally requested to appear before the review body and (f) who will represent the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Home Office, respectively, on the proposed review body.
§ Mr. Giles ShawWe intend to seek the views of the police and a cross-section of shooting organisations shortly156Won the operation of the working party's recommendation on the territorial condition, but I am not yet in a position to give further details.
§ Mr. Ron Daviesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department issued to chief constables (a) before April 1984 and (b) since April 1984 regarding the circumstances in which a firearms certificate issued under the Firearms Act 1968 should have attached to it a condition stipulating that the firearms and ammunition to which the certificate relates should not be capable of firing in bursts.
§ Mr. Giles ShawChief officers of police were advised in 1978 that consideration should be given to the imposition of the following condition in cases where it is not possible to specify precisely the weapon which a certificate holder is authorised to acquire
The firearms to which this certificate relates shall nol be capable of firing in bursts".No further advice has been issued to chief officers of police since then.