§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what measures he plans to take against the possession of illegally held firearms; and if he will make a statement; [84733]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of illegally held firearms in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [84735]
§ Mr. BoatengThere is no reliable estimate of the number of illegal firearms in circulation in this country.
Government Departments work closely with the police service and Her Majesty's Customs to prevent and detect the illegal use of firearms.
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§ Mr. George RobertsonI am afraid that I cannot discuss intelligence received in confidence from another Government, as is recognised by exemption 1 of the Code of Practice for Access to Government Information. However, as we stressed at the time, we had the assurance of the United States Government that their decision to resort to military action was based on compelling evidence that the El Shifa factory was connected with chemical weapons development or manufacture.