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Motoring Accidents

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motoring accidents resulting in (a) death, (b) serious injury, (c) less serious injury and (d) vehicle damage but not injury were recorded in each Metropolitan Police district in each of the last five years. [61616]

Kate Hoey: The Commissioner has provided the following information:

Area	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997
	Fatal accidents
1-Central	26	28	25	21	30
2-North West	64	72	48	76	67
3-North East	73	68	55	61	65
4-South East	75	58	50	52	45
5-South West	63	65	56	54	69
Total	301	291	234	264	276
Serious injury accidents
1-Central	705	745	548	626	642
2-North West	1,172	1,137	1,398	1,545	1,545
3-North East	1,389	1,215	1,313	1,513	1,523
4-South East	1,166	1,209	1,345	1,211	1,344
5-South West	1,484	1,374	1,551	1,287	1,433
Total	5,916	5,680	6,155	6,182	6,487
	Less serious injury
1-Central	3,735	3,701	3,677	3,922	3,840
2-North West	8,253	8,542	8,421	7,878	7,854
3-North East	7,625	7,573	7,503	7,796	7,626
4-South East	7,505	7,556	7,137	7,097	7,247
5-South West	7,460	7,496	7,166	7,312	7,260
Total	34,578	34,868	33,904	34,005	33,827

Note:

Figures for accidents involving damage but no injury are not collected

2 Dec 1998 : Column: 194

Police Act 1997

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the timetable for implementation of Part V of the Police Act 1997; and if he will make a statement. [61614]

Mr. Boateng: As we have made clear in the past, we have decided to implement Part V of the Police Act 1997 and to establish the necessary arrangements to issue the three forms of certificate provided for under the Act. The timetable for implementation will be influenced by the very large number of certificates likely to be required. We are therefore giving careful consideration to the phasing in of certificates with priority given to the protection of children.

Police (Unclassified Papers)

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a list of unclassified papers produced in (a) the special interest series by the Police and Reducing Crime Unit, and (b) the technical series of papers from the Police Scientific and Development Branch since January 1997, indicating (a) the title of each paper and (b) the date on which it was produced. [62045]

Mr. Boateng: There have been two unclassified special interest series papers published by the Policing and Reducing Crime Unit, and eighteen unclassified papers produced in the technical series of reports by the Police Scientific Development Branch since January 1997. A list of these will now be placed in the Library.

Police Grant

Ms Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to announce the allocations of police grant for individual police authorities in England and Wales for 1999-2000. [62483]

Mr. Straw: I have today put a copy of my proposals for the allocation of police grant for 1999-2000 in the Library. I intend to implement these proposals, subject to consideration of any representations I receive about them.

2 Dec 1998 : Column: 195

I announced in July, following the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review, that spending overall on the police service in England and Wales would be increased by £1.24 billion in the years 1999-2002. The increases will be 2.67 per cent. in 1999-2000, up to a further 2.8 per cent. in 2000-01, and up to an extra 4 per cent. in 2001-02. These sums represent a real terms' increase, albeit small, in police spending, as explained in my reply to the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon- Tweed (Mr. Beith) on 31 July 1998, Official Report, columns 829-30.

The police service has indicated its support in principle for the continued distribution of police grant in accordance with a needs-based formula. I am therefore proposing to continue to allocate the greater part of police grant according to the police funding formula.

I am, however, proposing several changes to the formula to reflect the latest data now available, and in response to the representations I have received. The principal changes I propose are: (a) to reduce from 20 per cent. to 10 per cent. the share of funding allocated on the basis of forces' past establishments; and (b) to increase from 13.2 per cent. to 14.5 per cent. the proportion of funding allocated on the basis of forces' pensions commitments.

I am proposing that the Metropolitan Police should continue to receive additional funding in recognition of its distinct national and capital city functions. It has proved very difficult for the principal formula appropriately to take account of these special circumstances. I have proposed, therefore, that a special payment of grant will be made to the Metropolitan Police over and above that available through the principal formula. I have set the amount of this special payment at £176 million.

In addition, I am proposing to make special payments of grant to the following police authorities in 1999-2000 in recognition of the additional costs which will be incurred in preparation for the proposed changes to the Metropolitan Police District boundaries:

Essex--£2 million

Hertfordshire--£3 million

Surrey--£7 million.

Other police funding proposals within the local government finance system are being announced today by my right hon. Friends the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Wales. These proposals, and mine, would increase Total Standard Spending on the police in England and Wales by 2.67 per cent. or around £186 million over 1998-99.

The settlement also takes account of my commitment to improve police efficiency. I have set a target of 2 per cent. efficiency gains year on year for the police service from 1999-2000. By achieving these targets, police authorities can re-invest the savings to help meet front-line priorities.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Audit Commission have published extensive advice to chief officers and to police authorities on many ways in which the efficiency and effectiveness of the police service can be improved within available resources. A detailed circular on this from my Department has recently been issued which, among other subjects, gives guidance

2 Dec 1998 : Column: 196

on savings to be secured in the areas of training, estate management, procurement, sickness and early retirements on medical grounds.

Over the next three years, the Government will also be spending £250 million on their targeted crime reduction programme, £217 million on tackling drugs and £85 million on the Youth Justice Board's development fund.

The Government have already announced their decision to abolish crude and universal capping of local authorities from April 1999. In previous years, the Government have announced capping limits on police authority spending at the time of provisional funding settlement. No such limits are being set for next year. Nevertheless, I expect police authorities in England and Wales to set budgets which are prudent and reasonable, and which do not impose an excessive increase in council tax next year. We shall be monitoring the position carefully.

The effect of my proposals for each police authority for 1999-2000 is set out in the table. It also shows the allocation approved by Parliament for 1998-99.

£ million

Police Authority	1998-99 Allocation(12)	1999-2000 Allocation(12)
English Shire forces
Avon & Somerset	164.3	168.4
Bedfordshire	60.9	61.4
Cambridgeshire	71.9	74.8
Cheshire	104.7	109.0
Cleveland	80.4	81.5
Cumbria	59.0	60.0
Derbyshire	97.7	101.7
Devon & Cornwall	167.4	174.4
Dorset	67.8	70.1
Durham	78.1	81.3
Essex	158.4	163.0
Gloucestershire	61.5	62.4
Hampshire	189.1	194.6
Hertfordshire	94.1	100.1
Humberside	110.6	113.0
Kent	178.9	183.2
Lancashire	174.9	178.3
Leicestershire	99.1	102.3
Lincolnshire	60.7	63.4
Norfolk	80.9	83.5
North Yorkshire	75.6	77.6
Northamptonshire	62.8	65.2
Nottinghamshire	123.0	126.4
Staffordshire	111.1	113.0
Suffolk	66.0	68.7
Surrey	84.2	92.0
Sussex	162.6	166.4
Thames Valley	219.3	224.6
Warwickshire	51.1	52.0
West Mercia	110.0	113.1
Wiltshire	63.4	64.9
English Metropolitan forces
Greater Manchester	364.8	375.7
Merseyside	233.3	236.3
Northumbria	205.4	213.0
South Yorkshire	165.4	171.3
West Midlands	371.9	380.6
West Yorkshire	279.5	286.3
London forces
Metropolitan police(13)	1,715.3	1,744.1
City of London(14)	57.1	55.4
English total	6,682.6	6,852.7
Welsh forces
Dyfed-Powys	51.1	51.5
Gwent	67.3	69.3
North Wales	73.2	75.1
South Wales	161.3	163.1
Welsh total	353.0	359.0
Total	7,035.5	7,211.7

(12) Rounded to the nearest £100,000. The Allocation is the sum of: Police Grant, Transitional Grant, Police SSA, Capital Finance SSA, Reduction Grant and Central Support Reduction Grant.

(13) Figure for the Metropolitan Police does not include funding allocated to the Receiver under the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services SSA for school crossing patrols, Magistrates' Courts and the Probation Service. It does include its Special Payment.

(14) Figure for the City includes Police SSA, Grant and SSA Reduction Grant, but excludes other SSAs (eg Capital Financing) and Central Support Reduction Grant. These are allocated to the Common Council of the City of London as a whole in respect of all its functions.

2 Dec 1998 : Column: 197

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