§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many outbreaks of fire were recorded in each of the last five years in(a) England and Wales and (b) the Bolton area;
(2) what was the number of incidents of arson in each of the last five years in (a) England and Wales and (b) the Bolton area.
§ Mr. John PattenThe available figures for 1983 to 1987 are given in the following table. Separate information is not available centrally for the Bolton area as this is part of the area covered by the Greater Manchester fire and civil defence authority. The United Kingdom total for 1988 will be published shortly in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin "Summary Fire Statistics UK 1988" with separate figures for Greater Manchester being available from spring 1990.
Total fires (fires in occupied buildings, outdoor fires and fires in derelict buildings) and fires in occupied buildings reported by local authority fire brigades United Kingdom Greater Manchester Year Total Occupied buildings Total Occupied buildings 1987 353,996 104,079 21,030 6,669 1986 387,298 105,650 23,177 6,913 1985 388,042 104,655 21,838 6,172 1984 446,557 101,545 27,822 6,442 1983 372,405 97,490 20,275 5,804
Fires in occupied buildings reported by local authority fire brigades as deliberate or possibly deliberate Year United Kingdom Greater Manchester 1987 18,774 1,490 1986 19,317 1,683 1985 18,414 1,426 1984 17,756 1,467 1983 15,486 1,013 Source: Fire Statistics United Kingdom 1983–87