HC Deb 09 January 1996 vol 269 cc187-8W
Mr. Callaghan

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he intends to take to control the sale of knives. [7650]

Mr. Maclean

The sale of a variety of knives and other weapons which include bladed or pointed components is prohibited under the Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act 1959 and section 141 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans to restrict the sale of knives in general. He will consider adding to the list of prohibited items any bladed item which has no legitimate use and which includes some feature which enables it to be defined in law in such a way as to distinguish it from knives which have legitimate uses population, by category and in total, on 1 January of each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [7409]

Miss Widdecombe

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from A.J. Pearson to Mr. Alex Carlile, dated 9 January 1996: The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question asking what was the total female prison population, by category and in total, on 1 January of each of the last 10 years. Historical prison population statistics are available for the last day of each month. Details of the female prison population by type of prisoner are therefore given in the attached table for 31 December for the years 1985 to 1994.