A KEY report into a New Year massacre in County Durham in which four people were shot dead will be handed to the families affected within weeks.

The probe by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is "now close to completion", a Home Office minister said - ten months after the horror events in the village of Horden.

But Damian Green said the timetable for publication of the report was a matter for the coroner, with no date set yet for an inquest.

And he appeared to rule out one suggestion for toughening up gun laws - a national licensing authority - telling MPs: "There is a danger that a central authority might lose touch with the sort of local information that the police need."

The debate was led by Grahame Morris, the Labour MP for Easington, whose constituency includes Horden, after claims the Home Office is dragging her heels over calls for clearer gun laws.

On New Year's Day, Michael Atherton shot and killed his partner Sue McGoldrick, her sister Alison Turnbull and her niece, Tanya Turnbull, in Horden.

Atherton - who then killed himself - had licences for three shotguns, plus three Section One weapons, such as high-powered rifles and pump-action shotguns.

It then emerged that Atherton had his weapons removed by Durham Police in 2008, after concerns were raised over alleged threats he had made to harm himself - but he later successfully applied to have the weapons returned to him.

During the debate, Mr Morris pointed out there were currently 34 separate pieces of firearms legislation - and 200 pages of police guidance - telling the minister: "It is complex and difficult to navigate for the police and the public."

The MP described as "alarming", a revelation that 3,000 licensed firearms had been reported lost, missing or stolen in the previous 12 months.

And, calling for GPs to be more closely involved in the issuing of firearms certificates, Mr Morris said: "We need early and proactive intervention when a firearms holder's mental and physical health deteriorates."

In response, Mr Green pledged to "consider carefully" any recommendations made by the IPCC, when it concluded its probe into the Horden shootings.

And he revealed: "I understand that there have been complexities with the IPCC investigation, although it is working through those matters as fast as possible and the investigation is now close to completion.

"The final report is now being finalised and it will be shared with the families shortly. Publication of the report will, however, depend on the time scales for the inquest and the wishes of the coroner.

"The government have always made it clear that controls on firearms should be targeted fairly and proportionately and that they should strike the right balance by securing public safety, without bearing down unnecessarily on legitimate users."