HC Deb 18 June 1996 vol 279 cc443-4W
Mr. Robert McCartney

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will arrange for the maintenance and publication by his Department of statistics concerning deaths caused by legally held firearms, to include the particular type of gun, the reason for the grant of a firearm certificate, and a breakdown of the type of death by(a) murder, (b) suicide or (c) accident; and if he will make a statement. [32081]

Sir John Wheeler

I have asked the chief constable to consider the feasibility of collating this information. I will then consider whether the costs of producing the figures outweigh the benefits of having them. It is not possible to

Gross public expenditure
£ million (1994–95 prices)
1990–91 Outturn 1991–92 Outturn 1992–93 Outturn 1993–94 Outturn 1994–95 Outturn 1995–96 Estimated outturn
(a) DOE Water Service 137 147 161 175 187 195
(b) NIES 54 61 62 —'
(c) DED 581 548 520 530 503 514
(d) NIHE 547 539 534 518 518 529
(e) Social Security Agency (including Social Security Benefits) 2,263 2,467 2,655 2,786 2,905
(f) DANI 240 246 247 276 317 310
(g) Child Support Agency 5 5 6
(h) DENI 1,179 1,242 1,277 1,288 1,326 1,338
(i) DHSS 3,433 3,637 3,892 4,143 4,342 4,535
(j) DFP 56 60 56 62 75 86
(k) NIO 818 863 943 955 930 877
(l) Southern ELB 101 200 216 215 215 215
(m) Southern HSSB 136 140 170 179 185 192

estimate when the exercise will be completed, but I shall write to the hon. and learned Gentleman as soon as the information becomes available.