To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures Customs and Excise officers are taking to stop the illegal flow of weapons from eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union from entering the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
Customs give high priority to the detection of illegal imports of firearms. They carry out selective anti-smuggling checks, based on intelligence-led, sharply focused profiles which take into account the ready availability of firearms originating in eastern Europe and the former USSR.
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many illegal weapons were seized by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise in each of the last 10 years.
The table sets out the number of illegal weapons seized by Customs and Excise during the last 10 fiscal years.
Table 25 using data from the 1991 Family Expenditure Survey is as follows:
Total disposable income of households (£)
| As a percentage of the median
| ||||||||
Lowest decile
| Lower quartile
| Median
| Upper quartile
| Highest decile
| Lowest decile
| Lower quartile
| Upper quartile
| Highest decile
| |
| Two adults, four or more children | 149·25 | 213·27 | 272·98 | 364·53 | 557·58 | 54·7 | 78·1 | 133·5 | 204·3 |
| Three adults | 210·67 | 285·67 | 397·09 | 528·27 | 680·57 | 53·1 | 71·9 | 133·0 | 171·4 |
| Three adults, one or more children | 244·89 | 329·23 | 438·73 | 571·44 | 731·00 | 55·8 | 75·0 | 130·2 | 166·6 |
| Four or more adults | 306·97 | 420·55 | 547·95 | 700·92 | 882·96 | 56·0 | 76·8 | 127·9 | 161·1 |
| Four of more adults, one or more children | 280·48 | 361·29 | 468·14 | 661·14 | 838·12 | 59·9 | 77·2 | 141·2 | 179·0 |
Type of administrative area
| |||||||||
| Greater London | 67·44 | 143·67 | 283·47 | 475·43 | 689·72 | 23·8 | 50·7 | 167·7 | 243·3 |
| Metropolitan Districts and Central Clydeside Conurbation | 64·19 | 108·34 | 220·10 | 357·43 | 502·86 | 29·2 | 49·2 | 162·4 | 228·5 |
| Non-Metropolitan Districts: | |||||||||
| High population density | 80·00 | 141·45 | 254·77 | 381·67 | 541·41 | 31·4 | 55·55 | 149·8 | 212·5 |
| Low population density | 80·72 | 143·50 | 262·09 | 406·94 | 569·98 | 30·8 | 54·8 | 155·3 | 217·5 |
Households with weekly expenditure:
| |||||||||
| Under £60 | 41·70 | 53·43 | 57·56 | 69·23 | 91·63 | 72·4 | 92·8 | 120·3 | 159·2 |
| £60 and under £80 | 52·31 | 61·39 | 77·67 | 98·50 | 129·41 | 67·4 | 79·0 | 126·8 | 166·6 |
| £80 and under £100 | 62·40 | 82·53 | 101·93 | 128·13 | 167·98 | 61·2 | 81·0 | 125·7 | 164·8 |
| £100 and under £125 | 78·98 | 101·22 | 130·39 | 180·71 | 252·09 | 60·6 | 77·6 | 138·6 | 193·3 |
| £125 and under £150 | 89·93 | 121·41 | 159·41 | 216·84 | 289·02 | 56·4 | 76·2 | 136·0 | 181·3 |
| £150 and under £175 | 113·05 | 152·10 | 199·12 | 256·65 | 312·03 | 56·8 | 76·4 | 128·9 | 156·7 |
| £175 and under £225 | 145·15 | 190·56 | 247·87 | 320·09 | 399·10 | 58·6 | 76·9 | 129·1 | 161·0 |
| £225 and under £275 | 183·70 | 240·94 | 308·82 | 387·46 | 479·60 | 59·5 | 78·0 | 125·5 | 155·3 |
| £275 and under £325 | 210·69 | 274·00 | 353·66 | 436·21 | 533·38 | 59·6 | 77·5 | 123·3 | 150·8 |
| £325 and under £375 | 234·09 | 308·81 | 392·98 | 493·30 | 599·12 | 59·6 | 78·6 | 125·5 | 152·5 |
| £375 and under £425 | 231·25 | 331·47 | 438·94 | 559·80 | 694·22 | 52·7 | 75·5 | 127·5 | 158·2 |
| £425 and under £475 | 277·00 | 379·40 | 466·41 | 592·36 | 720·46 | 59·4 | 81·3 | 127·0 | 154·5 |
| £475 and under £550 | 269·71 | 365·89 | 499·46 | 642·46 | 832·47 | 54·0 | 73·2 | 128·6 | 166·6 |
| £550 and under £650 | 300·67 | 425·40 | 571·40 | 679·32 | 814·71 | 52·6 | 74·4 | 118·9 | 142·6 |
| £650 and under £800 | 372·74 | 456·32 | 601·33 | 768·76 | 1,018·08 | 62·0 | 75·9 | 127·8 | 169·3 |
| £800 or more | 329·76 | 458·85 | 642·48 | 882·96 | 1,472·52 | 51·3 | 71·4 | 137·4 | 229·2 |
| All household income | 74·62 | 132·51 | 252·91 | 398·05 | 563·53 | 29·5 | 52·4 | 157·4 | 222·8 |