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Police Funding
Mr. Casale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will announce funding allocations to police forces taking up Airwave in 2001-02. [140622]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Earlier this year I announced that the Government were making provision of £500 million over three years to meet the costs of a new police radio service known as "Airwave". All police authorities which have signed their service contracts for the new service will benefit from this funding. This will relieve them of a significant burden that would otherwise have had to be met from their policing budgets.
Those forces which feature early in the roll-out programme and whose authorities have signed their service contracts will receive the following allocations in 2001-02. The remaining authorities which have signed their service contracts will receive their allocations in the subsequent two years.
| £000 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Force | Capital | Revenue |
| Lancashire Constabulary | 4,922 | 2,557 |
| Greater Manchester Police (GMP) | 10,259 | 5,329 |
| North Yorkshire Police | 2,109 | 1,096 |
| West Mercia Constabulary | 3,095 | 1,608 |
| Gloucestershire Constabulary | 1,684 | 875 |
| Leicestershire Constabulary | 2,796 | 1,453 |
| Suffolk Constabulary | 1,886 | 980 |
| Devon and Cornwall Constabulary | 4,755 | 2,470 |
| Avon and Somerset Constabulary | 4,597 | 2,388 |
| Derbyshire Constabulary | 2,789 | 1,449 |
| Durham Constabulary | (28)-- | (28)-- |
| Dorset Police | 1,913 | 994 |
| Humberside Police | 3,101 | 1,611 |
| Northumbria Police | 5,771 | 2,998 |
| Cumbria Constabulary | 1,650 | 676 |
| Wiltshire Constabulary | 1,769 | 724 |
| Cambridgeshire Constabulary | 2,052 | 840 |
| Thames Valley Police | 6,138 | 2,514 |
| Gwent Constabulary | 1,885 | 772 |
| Dyfed-Powys Police | 1,408 | 0 |
| Hertfordshire Constabulary | 3,045 | 0 |
| South Wales Constabulary | 4,432 | 0 |
| Total England and Wales | 70,143 | 30,340 |
(28) Contracts not signed
A further £2.226 million (capital) and £1,156 million (revenue) will be available for distribution in 2001-02 to the other police authority listed once it has signed its service contract.
Payment to BT for the core service will be made centrally.
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Mr. Casale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he will take in respect of funding police authorities for the execution of warrants during 2000-01. [140623]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Transfer of responsibility for warrant enforcement, originally planned for 1 October 2000, has been rescheduled for 1 April 2001. I am arranging for the relevant funding, £4.34 million, to be allocated to police authorities according to police grant/Standard Spending Assessments levels for 2000-01.
The allocations are given in the table.
| Police authority | Spending assessment |
|---|---|
| Avon and Somerset | 104,455 |
| Bedfordshire | 38,645 |
| Cambridgeshire | 46,632 |
| Cheshire | 67,598 |
| City of London | 32,866 |
| Cleveland | 51,020 |
| Cumbria | 37,498 |
| Derbyshire | 63,384 |
| Devon & Cornwall | 108,050 |
| Dorset | 43,462 |
| Durham | 50,570 |
| Dyfed-Powys | 31,998 |
| Essex | 104,553 |
| Gloucestershire | 38,260 |
| Greater Manchester | 233,104 |
| Gwent | 42,826 |
| Hampshire | 122,464 |
| Hertfordshire | 69,195 |
| Humberside | 70,466 |
| Kent | 115,311 |
| Lancashire | 111,832 |
| Leicestershire | 63,541 |
| Lincolnshire | 39,380 |
| Merseyside | 145,987 |
| Metropolitan Police | 924,557 |
| Norfolk | 52,114 |
| North Wales | 46,797 |
| North Yorkshire | 47,933 |
| Northamptonshire | 40,817 |
| Northumbria | 131,131 |
| Nottinghamshire | 77,976 |
| South Wales | 100,716 |
| South Yorkshire | 106,677 |
| Staffordshire | 70,242 |
| Suffolk | 42,854 |
| Surrey | 62,768 |
| Sussex | 103,945 |
| Thames Valley | 139,461 |
| Warwickshire | 32,614 |
| West Mercia | 70,324 |
| West Midlands | 236,757 |
| West Yorkshire | 179,031 |
| Wiltshire | 40,189 |
| 4,340,000 |
Mr. Casale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision will be made for police recruitment under the Crime Fighting Fund for 2001-02. [140635]
Mr. Straw: The total provision for police forces in 2001-02 for officers recruited under the Crime Fighting Fund (CFF) is likely to be £129 million. This includes funding for the continued employment of officers recruited during 2000-01 as well as funding for new recruits in 2001-02.
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The table provides an indicative breakdown of payments between forces, assuming that all forces recruit their full CFF allocation in 2000-01 and that they also recruit their full CFF allocations in 2001-02.
Bids from forces to accelerate or to defer CFF allocations between 2000-01 and 2001-02 are presently under consideration. CFF allocations for 2001-02 are therefore provisional and depend upon forces meeting the Continuation Criteria set out in the CFF bidding guide. Decisions on acceleration/deferral and on compliance with the continuation criteria may affect the amounts payable to forces in 2001-02.
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Payments to forces for individual CFF recruits are made pro rata from the point at which the CFF officers are recruited. Payments due will change to reflect the actual pattern of recruitment, if it is different from the even distribution assumed for the purposes of the table.
In addition to payments direct to forces, National Police Training (NPT) will receive funding to train new recruits to provincial forces. The total CFF provision also includes a contingency to cover, for example, costs arising from any new allowances that may be introduced which affect CFF recruits.
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| Forces | CFF year 1 allocation 2000-01 | Continuation cost of year 1 allocation in 2001-02(29),(30) (£000) | CFF year 2 allocation 1 2001-02(31) | Cost of year 2 recruitment in 2001-02(30),(31) (£000) | Total (£000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avon and Somerset | 67 | 1,691 | 51 | 706 | 2,397 |
| Bedfordshire | 28 | 707 | 31 | 424 | 1,131 |
| Cambridgeshire | 37 | 934 | 23 | 296 | 1,230 |
| Cheshire | 47 | 1,186 | 50 | 704 | 1,890 |
| City of London | 8 | 253 | 15 | 222 | 475 |
| Cleveland | 20 | 505 | 27 | 353 | 858 |
| Cumbria | 25 | 631 | 23 | 296 | 927 |
| Derbyshire | 49 | 1,237 | 55 | 742 | 1,979 |
| Devon and Cornwall | 77 | 1,943 | 79 | 1,125 | 3,068 |
| Dorset | 29 | 732 | 26 | 335 | 1,067 |
| Durham | 36 | 908 | 23 | 296 | 1,204 |
| Dyfed-Powys | 25 | 631 | 38 | 515 | 1,145 |
| Essex | 70 | 1,766 | 62 | 851 | 2,618 |
| Gloucestershire | 29 | 732 | 35 | 460 | 1,192 |
| Greater Manchester | 186 | 4,694 | 201 | 2,818 | 7,512 |
| Gwent | 31 | 782 | 18 | 275 | 1,058 |
| Hampshire | 82 | 2,069 | 77 | 1,057 | 3,127 |
| Hertfordshire | 40 | 1,009 | 30 | 422 | 1,432 |
| Humberside | 47 | 1,186 | 41 | 565 | 1,751 |
| Kent | 82 | 2,069 | 92 | 1,274 | 3,343 |
| Lancashire | 75 | 1,893 | 77 | 1,057 | 2,950 |
| Leicestershire | 46 | 1,161 | 56 | 758 | 1,918 |
| Lincolnshire | 29 | 732 | 18 | 275 | 1,007 |
| Merseyside | 105 | 2,650 | 112 | 1,555 | 4,205 |
| Metropolitan(32),(33) | 663 | 20,999 | 699 | 17,094 | 38,093 |
| Norfolk | 35 | 883 | 47 | 635 | 1,518 |
| North Wales | 34 | 858 | 32 | 429 | 1,287 |
| North Yorkshire | 20 | 505 | 23 | 296 | 801 |
| Northamptonshire | 32 | 808 | 32 | 429 | 1,236 |
| Northumbria | 85 | 2,145 | 87 | 1,198 | 3,343 |
| Nottinghamshire | 52 | 1,312 | 54 | 729 | 2,041 |
| South Wales | 59 | 1,489 | 49 | 679 | 2,167 |
| South Yorkshire | 67 | 1,691 | 61 | 847 | 2,538 |
| Staffordshire | 49 | 1,237 | 51 | 706 | 1,943 |
| Suffolk | 31 | 782 | 21 | 284 | 1,066 |
| Surrey | 46 | 1,161 | 48 | 655 | 1,816 |
| Sussex | 69 | 1,741 | 64 | 870 | 2,611 |
| Thames Valley | 111 | 2,801 | 108 | 1,500 | 4,301 |
| Warwickshire | 21 | 530 | 14 | 228 | 758 |
| West Mercia | 50 | 1,262 | 59 | 819 | 2,081 |
| West Midlands | 173 | 4,366 | 179 | 2,509 | 6,875 |
| West Yorkshire | 107 | 2,700 | 91 | 1,269 | 3,970 |
| Wiltshire | 26 | 656 | 21 | 284 | 940 |
| Totals | 3,000 | 80,025 | 3,000 | 48,844 | 128,869 |
| NPT(34) | -- | -- | -- | -- | 16,100 |
| Contingencies(35) | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6,031 |
| Grand Total | -- | -- | -- | -- | 151,000 |
(29) Assumes that all forces recruit their full CFF allocation in 2000-01
(30) Costs include 3 per cent. increase over 2000-01 provision for pay related costs
(31) Assumes that all forces will recruit their full CFF allocations in 2001-02 and that recruitment will be spread evenly over the year
(32) The cost of the increase in London Allowance implemented in 2000 for new recruits to the Metropolitan police service (MPS) and City of London police has been included in the calculations for CFF recruits to the MPS and City (including an element for employers NIC)
(33) Training costs of £7,000 per officer for new MPS recruits has been included in the calculation for MPS
(34) NPT training costs of £16.1 million are based on a cost of £7k per officer for forces, except the MPS
(35) A contingency is required to cover additional costs that may arise, including possible additional costs for CFF recruits from implementation of an Outer London Allowance
27 Nov 2000 : Column: 457W
Mr. Hope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will announce the allocations of police grant for individual police authorities in England and Wales for 2001-02. [140629]
Mr. Straw: I have today put a copy of my proposals for the allocation of police grant for 2001-02 in the Library. I intend to implement these proposals subject to
27 Nov 2000 : Column: 458W
consideration of any representations I receive about them, and to approval by the House.
The total provision for policing in 2001-02 is £8,495 million. This is an increase of 10.1 per cent. over the initial provision for this year. I propose to distribute the police settlement as follows.
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| 2000-01 (£ million) | 2001-02 (£ million) | Increase (£ million) | Percentage increase | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (a) Total Standard Spending | 7,354 | 7,732 | 377 | 5.13 |
| (b) Special police grants and central support services | 219 | 531 | 312 | -- |
| (c) Police Authority capital | 144 | 232 | 88 | -- |
| Total | 7,718 | 8,495 | 777 | 10.06 |
Note:
All figures rounded to nearest £ million
27 Nov 2000 : Column: 457W
Police funding proposals within the local government finance system are being announced today by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and the Regions and by the National Assembly for Wales. These proposals and mine would provide Total Standard Spending on the police in England and Wales of £7,731.774 million, an increase of around £377.4 million or 5.1 per cent. over the comparable provision for 2000-01.
The overall increase is 5.1 per cent., but increases for individual police authorities vary. The formula used to determine the distribution of grant/Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) is unchanged for 2001-02. The main reasons for differences between police authorities result from changes in the data applied from one year to the next. These include changes in population, unemployment, projected pensions commitments and the Area Cost Adjustment.
I propose that the Metropolitan police service 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 to take account of these special circumstances. As in previous years, therefore, a special payment of grant will be made to the Metropolitan police service over and above that available through the principal formula. I have set the amount of this special payment at £191 million, which is included in the total provision.
I am proposing to make special payments of grant to the following police authorities in 2001-02 in recognition of the additional costs which will be incurred as a result of the changes to the Metropolitan police district boundaries as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Essex | 14,000 |
| Hertfordshire | 627,000 |
| Surrey | 1,609,000 |
My proposed allocations, compared with those for last year, are given in the table as follows. The table also includes provisional allocations for capital financing SSA and for SSA Protection Grant and Central Support Protection Grant where appropriate.
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(b) Special Police Grants and Central Support Services
The substantial increase since the last settlement provides the opportunity to develop a number of specific ring fenced initiatives.
Crime Fighting Fund--(£151 million, of which up to £129 million will be targeted grants) for the estimated cost in 2001-02 of police officers recruited this year and next, over and above forces' existing recruitment plans. The overall cost includes recruitment and training. Targets agreed with each force for recruitment, and performance against them, will be reviewed regularly. Actual payments to police authorities will be based on performance.
Rural Policing Fund--(£30 million) to help address the particular pressures of policing rural areas. The payment follows an allocation of £15 million made this year. I shall expect police authorities to demonstrate how they have used the added investment to reduce crime and the fear of crime in more rural areas.
Airwave--(£49 million) for introduction of the public safety radio communication system. The total includes up to £32.488 million grants to police authorities for start-up costs for introduction of Airwave. Grants will be paid to forces taking Airwave in 2001-02. Similar arrangements will apply in future in the year each force joins the system. I shall also provide centrally for payment centrally of the core service charge to the contractor. I envisage that the total provision in the years 2001-02 to 2003-04 (for start up, capital and core costs) will reach £500 million.
Basic Command Unit Fund--(£5 million) to support and encourage initiatives to prevent crime and the fear of crime at the policing level closest to the general public and to extend inspection to BCU performance. Details of the scheme are being developed.
DNA Expansion Project--(£63 million) for processing samples, scientific support, training and evidential casework. Work on how most effectively to target this money is in hand.
National Strategy for Police Information Systems--(£12 million) to support information system developments by forces on behalf of the service.
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(c) Capital
I intend to increase the provision of grant and supplementary credit approvals from £144.43 million this year to £157.43 million next year. Allocations will reflect any remaining outstanding undertakings given to support particular capital projects and will otherwise be guided as in previous years by the grant/SSA formula. In addition, capital grants for the introduction of Airwave (up to £75 million) will be made available to those police authorities taking up the service in 2001-02. Grants will be made in future years to those taking up the service subsequently.
I will inform the House of any significant allocations of grant to police authorities for these initiatives.
Several projects to be carried forward next year were launched or increased with new money this year, in addition to that in the settlement for 2000-01. The original targets in the Crime Fighting Fund were accelerated (£24 million), the Rural Policing fund was introduced (£15 million), provision was made for special initiatives to counter robbery in metropolitan areas (£20 million) and a central programme of recruitment advertising to support local police authority initiatives was launched (£7 million).
The settlement continues to take account of my commitment to improve police efficiency. For the third year running, I have set a target of 2 per cent. efficiency gains year on year for the police service from 2001-02. As in previous years, police authorities may invest the savings to help meet front line policing priorities. Police grant allocations for 2002-03 will be considered in the light of police authorities meeting the 2 per cent. efficiency targets. Authorities which fail to achieve the efficiency gain sought may be subject to an appropriate deduction from their resources. I am pleased that performance this year is such that it has not been necessary to apply this sanction to the grant allocations for 2001-02.
I expect police authorities in England to exercise restraint and sound financial management by setting budgets that are responsible, prudent and reasonable. We shall be monitoring the position very carefully. The National Assembly for Wales is responsible for exercising reserve powers to limit council tax increases in Wales.
(36) Rounded to the nearest £100,000. The Allocation is the sum of Police Grant, Transitional Grant, Police SSA, Capital Finance SSA, SSA Reduction Grant and Central Support Protection Grant. Figures for Capital Finance SSA are provisional.
(37) Figure for the Metropolitan police includes its Special Payment.
(38) Figure for the City includes Police SSA, Grant and SSA Reduction Grant, but excludes other SSAs (eg Capital Financing) and Central Support Protection Grant. These are allocated to the Common Council of the City of London as a whole in respect of all its functions.
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Mr. Hope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he will allocate the money provided to enhance rural policing for 2001-02. [140628]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Spending Review 2000 made provision for the allocation of £30 million for rural policing in each year of the settlement period. The sums for 2001-02 have been apportioned on the basis of population weighted by a sparsity score. The allocations for 2001-02 are given in the table.
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