§ Mr. J. DAVISONasked the Home Secretary whether local authorities who employ the police in carrying out the Weights and Measures Acts are subsidised by the Government in so doing; and whether, in the interests of local authorities generally, the great majority of whom do not employ the police on such work, no further contributions shall be made by the Government with respect to the pay, uniform, and pension of a police officer performing duties other than those of a police officer?
§ Mr. A. SHORTasked the Home Secretary (1) whether, in the county of Lancashire, police are acting as inspectors of weights and measures, which is purely civilian work, devoting the whole of their time to the duties but drawing police pay, half of which is recoverable from the Treasury; whether these police officers will be entitled to retire on superannuation as if they had been employed on police duties;
(2) whether, in view of the anomalous position created by the employment of police officers as inspectors of weights and measures, and in view of the fact that this practice restricts the field of employment open to civilians, such as ex-soldiers and 1965W sailors, he will further consider the advisability of taking steps to secure that the administration of the Weights and Measures Acts shall be carried out by civilian inspectors?
§ Mr. SHORTTAs I informed the hon. Member for Wednesbury (Mr. A. Short) on 5th August, I do not see my way at present to interfere with the discretion vested in local authorities with regard to the employment of police in the inspection of weights and measure. No part of the pay of police so employed is recoverable from the Treasury; it is excluded in calculating the Treasury subsidy to police expenditure. The officers in question are by Statute entitled to pensions on the same terms as other policemen.