HC Deb 19 May 1988 vol 133 cc1091-2
14. Mr. Sumberg

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the law and order budget within his Department for 1988–89; what was the comparable budget for the last 10 years; and what proportion of the budget is devoted to police manpower costs.

Mr. Hurd

The Home Office law and order budget for 1988–89 is £5,098 million, of which 61 per cent, is devoted to police manpower costs. I will, with permission, circulate in the Official Report the figures for the Home Office law and order budget for previous years.

Mr. Sumberg

Are not those figures proof-positive of the Government's commitment to the police force? Will my right hon. Friend join me in condemning those Left-wing Labour councils throughout the country which knock the police constantly, spend ratepayers' resources on that and thus destroy the safety of law-abiding citizens whom they are supposed to represent?

Mr. Hurd

My hon. Friend is perfectly right. There are still too many snipers of the police about, and unfortunately some of them are still on the Opposition Benches.

The figures are as follows:

£ million
1978–79 1,556
1979–80 1,971
1980–81 2,412
1981–82 2,855
1982–83 3,166
1983–84 3,462
1984–85 3,921
1985–86 3,967
1986–87 4,308
1987–88 14,832
1988–89 5,098
1 Estimated outturn.

This is the gross expenditure in England and Wales on police, prisons, the magistrates' courts, the probation service and the criminal injuries compensation scheme.