§ Paddy TippingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements he put in place to allow the pistol shooting events at the last Commonwealth Games to take place within the law. [163012]
§ Caroline FlintThe National Rifle Association, who hosted the shooting events at Bisley, provided details of every team taking part in the pistol shooting events and of every official who would have access to pistols. Specific authorities were then issued by the Home Office under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968. The authorities were dated so as to come into force one week before the commencement of the Games and to expire 10 days after the close.
The pistols were brought into the country through Heathrow airport, where they were put into secure storage. They were then taken by section 5 authorised carrier to Bisley where they were placed in the secure armoury. The pistols were allowed out of the armoury only for the necessary practice and competition and returned to the armoury immediately after the shoot. No pistol was allowed to be taken off the site.
At the closing of the Games, all the pistols were taken out of the country in the same way they had arrived.
§ Paddy TippingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the safety record of shooting sports in England and Wales. [163110]
§ Caroline FlintNo information is collated centrally in relation to accidents or injuries resulting specifically from the use of firearms in connection with shooting sports.
§ Paddy TippingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what discussions he had with the police regarding the combining of section 1 and section 2 firearms on the same certificate; [162998]
(2) what representations he has received calling for (a) .22 gallery rifles to be licensed and (b) the introduction of (i) individual testing in the use of firearms and (ii) hunting examinations before the issue of a firearms certificate in England and Wales; [163007]
(3) what studies his Department has conducted into the difference in the numbers of fatalities and injuries from firearms incidents in those countries that have (a) individual testing in the use of firearms and (b) hunting examinations and those that do not. [163008]
§ Caroline FlintThere have been no formal discussions or representations on these issues. There will be an opportunity for all interested parties to comment on these and all other firearms-related issues in responding to the consultation paper we will be issuing shortly on the review of firearms legislation. No specific studies have been undertaken by the Home Office of practices in other countries relating to competency testing and hunting examinations.
§ Paddy TippingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of the(a) efficiency and (b) practicality of the current arrangements for licensing section 2 firearms. [162999]
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§ Caroline FlintWe shall be seeking views on this as part of the review of firearms legislation. A consultation paper will be issued shortly.
§ Paddy TippingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what information he has collated on(a) the time taken by the police and (b) the cost incurred to process (i) a firearms certificate and (ii) a shotgun certificate; [163000]
(2) what (a) qualifications and (b) experience are required by the police of officers serving in firearms licensing departments; [163001]
(3) what training is offered (a) before and (b) during posting to firearms inquiry officers; [163002]
(4) what plans he has to ensure the efficiency of the next round of renewals of shotgun and firearms certificates in 2004; [163049]
(5) what information he has collated on the plans being made by each constabulary firearms licensing department for the next round of renewals of shotgun and firearms certificates in 2004. [163050]
§ Caroline FlintPolice forces are responsible under the Firearms Acts for issuing firearms and shotgun certificates. It is for individual chief officers to establish targets for dealing with applications and for ensuring that staff are properly selected and trained for the tasks they carry out.
The average times taken for each force to undertake these functions are not centrally recorded but we understand that most forces would aim to deal with most applications within four to eight weeks.
As with other respects of police administration, firearms licensing is subject to monitoring by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. Forces are required to carry out a five year rolling programme of best value reviews of all areas of business.
§ Paddy TippingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants denied section 1 and section 2 certificates have appealed to the courts against the decision of the chief officer of each constabulary in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and how many appeals were successful. [163003]
§ Caroline FlintFirearms licensing statistics for England and Wales are published annually in Home Office statistical bulletins, copies of which are placed in the Library of the House. Details are given of applications which are refused but no information is available on the outcome of any subsequent appeals.
Court statistics provide some information on the volume of appeals but I understand from the Department for Constitutional Affairs that these data are only complete back to 1998 and can only be provided on a court rather than police force basis. Area figures are as follows:
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Volume of appeals against revoked firearms licences Area (by Crown court) 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Avon and Somerset 7 7 8 7 9 3 Bedfordshire 1 1 2 1 1 3 Cambridgeshire 4 2 7 1 3 1 Cheshire 11 16 7 1 2 0 Cleveland 4 5 5 3 0 1 Cumbria 2 0 2 0 2 0 Derbyshire 8 8 5 1 2 4 Devon and Cornwall 8 11 8 2 5 10 Dorset 5 2 0 2 0 0 Durham 2 5 5 2 1 0 Dyfed Powys 15 32 16 14 22 15 Essex 17 8 7 4 12 8 Gloucestershire 5 1 3 0 4 0 Greater London 12 11 9 5 9 6 Greater Manchester 4 0 1 2 2 3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 16 8 12 13 7 14 Hertfordshire 3 5 1 2 0 0 Humberside 2 3 7 6 3 4 Kent 7 3 4 0 0 2 Lancashire 9 4 10 4 7 3 Leicestershire 7 2 2 1 2 2 Lincolnshire 3 1 3 4 0 3 Merseyside 1 2 3 3 0 1 Norfolk 9 16 8 7 2 0 North Wales 1 4 5 5 3 3 North Yorkshire 6 3 3 0 1 0 Northamptonshire 4 3 3 4 5 2 Northumbria 9 13 16 2 5 4 Nottinghamshire 1 3 4 3 2 1 South Wales and Gwent 21 12 10 2 9 2 South Yorkshire 3 5 1 2 3 5 Staffordshire 5 1 0 4 2 2 Suffolk 8 7 6 4 4 6 Surrey 4 2 7 3 2 7 Sussex 8 9 8 9 2 6 Thames Valley 7 3 7 5 3 5 Warwickshire 0 1 5 0 2 1 West Mercia 2 4 2 1 0 2 West Midlands 16 3 4 3 2 4 West Yorkshire 14 7 5 3 4 1 Wiltshire 1 2 3 6 2 0 England and Wales 272 235 224 141 146 134 These figures relate only to those cases where the appeal is clearly against refusal to grant a firearm or shot gun certificate. Other cases listed only as 'refusal of certificate' have not been counted since these might refer to taxi or entertainment licences.
§ Paddy TippingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many .22 gallery rifles he estimates are in circulation in England and Wales; [163004]
(2) how many .22 shooting galleries he estimates there are in England and Wales; [163005]
(3) any (a) fatalities and (b) injuries were caused by the use of .22 gallery rifles in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [163006]
§ Caroline FlintThe information requested is not available centrally. We will be seeking views on this aspect of shooting as part of the review of firearms legislation.
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§ Paddy TippingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Home Office approved target shooting clubs there are in the Lancashire constabulary area. [163009]
§ Caroline FlintThere are 20 target shooting clubs currently approved by the Secretary of State in the Lancashire constabulary area.
§ Paddy TippingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants have applied to join Home Office approved target shooting clubs in each year since 1998; and how many have been successful. [163010]
§ Caroline FlintThe information requested is not kept centrally.
§ Mr. SalterTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on liaison between the Firearms Consultative Committee and a parallel body established in Northern Ireland. [161765]
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§ Caroline FlintAs my hon. Friend will be aware, the Firearms Consultative Committee has ceased to exist. The extent to which it sought to liaise with Northern Ireland, which has its own separate legislation, would have been a matter for the Committee to determine.