§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why there is a divergence in the figures given by Her Majesty's Government and those given by the Royal Ulster Constabulary in 1985 for explosions and for firearms and weapons incidents.
§ Mr. Scott[pursuant to his reply, 6 May 1986, c. 36]: I assume that the hon. Member is referring to figures for 1985 in the answer my right hon. Friend gave him on 27 February, at column 637–8, and to those in table 3 of the appendix to the Chief Constable's 1985 annual report.
The separate figures given in the former for explosions and neutralisations add up to the figure in the latter for the "bombs". A separate figure was given in the answer for "shots heard"; in the Chief Constable's report this is subsumed in the overall "shootings" total.
Finally, the figure that was given for the recovery of firearms includes mortars; the chief constable's does not.