§ Mr. MealeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to the total number of bookmakers registered for British horse racing courses; and if he is able to give a regional breakdown.
§ Mr. John PattenInformation available from Customs and Excise shows that on 31 March 1987 1,543 bookmakers were registered to pay duty for on-course bookmaking at racecourses or greyhound tracks (or both) in Great Britain. The regional breakdown is as follows:
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Number Birmingham 149 Bristol 25
Number South Wales 96 Dover 22 East Anglia 33 Leeds 169 Liverpool 72 London 170 Manchester 55 Northern England (Newcastle) 175 Northampton 107 Nottingham 81 South West England (Plymouth) 53 Reading 61 Southampton 80 Aberdeen 2 Edinburgh 105 Glasgow 88 1,543
§ Mr. MealeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to the total amounts of money ploughed back into British horse racing courses through the totalisator system since 1979.
§ Mr. John PattenThe Horserace Totalisator Board has contributed £15.5 million to racing since 1979 in levy payments to racecourses and in sponsorship. In doing so, the board has drawn on proceeds from its bookmaking and credit betting, as well as its racecourse totalisator business.
§ Mr. MealeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to the number of horses killed on British racecourses in the last five years.
§ Mr. John PattenSafety standards on racecourses are the responsibility of the Jockey Club and the racecourse authorities. We do not hold information on the number of horses killed on racecourses.
§ Mr. MealeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to the total number of persons employed in horseracing for each year since 1979; and if he is able to provide a breakdown between full-time and part-time employment.
§ Mr. John PattenInformation about employment in horseracing is not separately identified in the centrally collected statistics on employment.
§ Mr. Alan MealeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has about the number of deaths and serious accidents which have occurred to those employed in the horse racing industry in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. John PattenNo comprehensive figures are kept centrally. Details of those claiming benefit from the racing industry benefit scheme are given in the reports of the Horserace Betting Levy Board which are laid before Parliament annually.
§ Mr. MealeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to how many registered horse racing courses there are in Britain.
§ Mr. John PattenFifty-nine. Sixty-six racecourses hold certificates of approval issued by the Horserace Betting Levy Board; seven of these relate to harness racing.
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§ Mr. MealeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to the total registered attendances at British horse racing courses in each year since 1979.
§ Mr. John PattenInformation available from the Racing Industry's statistical bureau shows the following total racecourse attendances:
Number 1979 4,105,327 1980 4,140,358 1981 3,752,757 1982 3,703,653 1983 3,522,558 1984 3,756,926 1985 3,749,811 1986 3,958,473