§ Mr. Tim SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to how many cases of criminal or other misuse of semi-automatic rifles have been reported since the Hungerford tragedy in August 1987.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe information requested is not available centrally. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Winterton) on 30 November 1987 at column 392. It is planned to publish in June 1988 the summary statistics for 1987 of offences recorded by the police in which firearms were used.
§ Mr. CorbettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received seeking the introduction of a scheme to compensate owners of buy-in weapons that would become unsaleable by virtue of the Criminal Justice Bill[Lords].
§ Mr. John PattenA few representations have raised the question of compensation. Decisions have not yet been reached on which weapons it will become an offence to manufacture, sell and import; simple possession will not become an offence.