§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the annual number of arrests and convictions directly related to the security situation in Northern Ireland since 1969.
§ Mr. MatesThe number of arrests in Northern Ireland under the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Acts and the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Acts, and the number of convictions for scheduled offences tried by a judge without a jury in the Northern Ireland courts are readily available only from 1975. The available information is set out in the table.
Year Number of Persons arrested in NI under the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Acts and the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Acts Number of Persons convicted for Scheduled Offences 1975 4,149 995 1976 8,567 900 1977 6,040 1,148 1978 5,029 837 1979 4,769 844 1980 3,570 550 1981 5,043 562 1982 4,017 744 1983 2,873 577 1984 2,475 464 1985 2,068 625 1986 2,283 567 1987 1,951 680 1988 1,782 487 1989 1,670 414 1990 1,614 440 1991 1,788 388 1992 1,842 354 Notes:
1. Figures included arrests under the NI (Emergency Provisions) Act, which are available up to 30 September 1992 only and exclude arrests under section 11 and section 13 of that Act prior to 1 June 1978, which are not available.
2. Not all persons who are arrested are charged or convicted; and not all findings of guilt are made the same year as the relevant arrest.
3. If an individual is arrested on more than one occasion, he/she will be added to the statistics on each occasion.
4. An individual convicted at different trials is added to the statistics on each occasion, and only once on each occasion whether or not he/she is convicted of more than one offence at each trial.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what has been the average length of sentence imposed on persons convicted for security-related offences in Northern Ireland in each year since 1969;
193W(2) what has been the average length of sentence imposed by the courts since 1970 on a terrorist convicted of a Northern Ireland-related homicide in Northern Ireland;
(3) what has been the average length of sentence imposed by the courts since 1973 on a terrorist convicted of Northern Ireland terrorist-related activities, excluding homicide, in Northern Ireland.
Sentences of imprisonment given to persons convicted of scheduled offences at the Crown Court sitting without a jury 1987–1991 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 Life imprisonment (number of persons) 10 12 11 15 11 Determinate prison sentence (number of persons) 333 257 227 241 262 Average determinate prison sentence (excluding life sentences) 4 years 8 months 5 years 2 months 5 years 9 months 5 years 10 months 6 years 9 months Note: Some persons were convicted of more than one offence.
Sentences of imprisonment given to persons convicted of murder* at the Crown Court sitting without a jury 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 Life imprisonment (number of persons) 10 12 11 15 11 Determinate prison sentence (number of persons) 21 10 7 16 28 Average determinate prison sentence 11 years 9 months 11 years 6 months 17 years 2 months 13 years 7 months 16 years 2 months Notes:
1. Some persons were convicted of more than one offence.
2. Where a person was convicted of more than one offence, the most serious, or that receiving the longest sentence is recorded.
*3. The offence of murder in the above table also includes attempted murder, aiding and abetting murder and conspiracy to murder.
Sentences of imprisonment given to persons convicted of scheduled offences, excluding murder*, at the Crown Court sitting without a jury, 1987–91 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 Life imprisonment — — — — — Determinate prison sentence (number of persons) 312 247 220 225 234 Average determinate prison sentence (i.e., excluding life sentences) 4 years 3 months 4 years 11 months 5 years 5 months 5 years 4 months 5 years 8 months Notes:
1. Some persons were convicted of more than one offence.
*2. For the purposes of the above table the offence "Murder" also includes attempted murder, aiding and abetting murder and conspiracy to murder.