§ Patrick MercerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department keeps on file records of thefts of ammonium nitrate;(a) in the United Kingdom and (b) on farms within the United Kingdom. [172743]
§ Mr. BlunkettIn England and Wales, numbers of thefts of ammonium nitrate are not collected separately from other thefts. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Alun Michael) on 27 April 2004,Official Report, column 857W. Ammonium nitrate in itself is not classified as an explosive.