§ Mr. SedgemoreTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 19 June,Official Report, column 263, what factors underlie the differences of policy between Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary and his Department in respect of the disclosure of the name of the company whose baton gun is authorised for police use in the United Kingdom. [6296]
§ Dr. ReidThere is no difference in policy between my Department and Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary in this respect. My Answer of 19 June to my hon. Friend,Official Report, column 263, related to the manufacturer of the baton rounds rather than the baton gun.
§ Mr. SedgemoreTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 19 June,Official Report, column 262, what happened on or before 24 March to prompt his Department to advise the RUC that some 1994 plastic baton rounds were outside agreed specification when earlier tests carried out in 1995 were not considered conclusive. [6107]
§ Mr. Spellar[holding answer 30 June 1997]: Following a meeting of MOD technical staff in February 1997 to discuss the baton round development programme, the MOD decided that rounds manufactured in 1994 should be withdrawn from operational use. This decision was taken in the light of the tests carried out in 1995 and 74W further tests which had been conducted in 1996. The 1996 tests showed that batches of rounds manufactured in that year did not exceed the specification and were therefore to be preferred to the 1994 rounds.