§ Ms KeebleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licences have been granted for rifles since the commencement of the compensation scheme for handguns. [79635]
§ Mr. BoatengThe Firearm Certificate Statistics only differentiate firearm certificates and shotgun certificates. There is no centrally kept record of the type(s) of firearm kept on individual certificates. I can say that in the year ending 31 December 1997 (the latest year for which figures are available) 6,800 new firearm certificates were granted. This compares to an annual average of some 10,860 for the previous five years.