To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the percentage of annual retail turnover lost through unauthorised entry to premises by retailers in the United Kingdom; and what information he has on the percentage lost by similar crime from retailers in other EC countries.

It is estimated that retailers lose some 2 per cent. of turnover annually through the disappearance of stock. This loss includes thefts of all descriptions; the proportion attributable to unauthorised entry is not known and cannot be ascertained.Information about losses elsewhere in the EC is not available.