§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of black people in the United Kingdom were the victims of murder or homicide in the last year for which figures are available; and what information he has on the equivalent figure in the United States of America.
§ Mr. MacleanThe information requested is not available centrally for England and Wales.
Figures for Scotland are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and figures for Northern Ireland are a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Figures for the United States are, of course, a matter for the United States Government, but I understand that the proportion of black people in the United States of America who were victims of murder and non-negligent manslaughter in 1993 is 37 per 100,000 according to the United States Department of Justice. For comparison, the proportion of the total England and Wales population who were victims of currently recorded homicide during 1993 was 1.2 per 100,000.