§ Mr. LansleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his latest estimate for the total compensation paid under Category C of the Firearms Compensation Scheme. [61684]
§ Mr. BoatengAround £11,850,000 has so far been paid to claimants under Option C of the compensation scheme for large-calibre handguns and the ex-gratia payment scheme for small-calibre pistols. No payments have yet been made under Option C of the separate statutory compensation scheme for small-calibre pistols. The final total of Option C payments will not be known until all claims have been examined, but we expect this to be contained within the overall compensation figure of around £120 million previously announced.
§ Mr. GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department intends to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Ashford of 16 July, 3 September, 14 October and 22 October on Category C firearms compensation. [61629]
§ Mr. BoatengA reply was sent on 27 November. Because the emphasis is on processing compensation claims, I am afraid it is not always possible to respond promptly to inquiries about the progress of individual claims. We have, however, kept the House informed of progress on the compensation schemes generally, most 193W recently in my reply to the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Mr. Robertson) on 28 October 1998, Official Report, columns 179–80.