§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to how much is being paid for overtime work each week associated with policing the current dispute in the mining industry (a) in total to date and (b) on average amongst the officers involved.
§ Mr. Andrew Stewartasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give financial assistance to those police authorities which are incurring additional expenditure as a result of the miners' dispute; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BrittanThe central Government already pays police grant of 50 per cent. on all approved police expenditure, but some police authorities have incurred substantial additional expenditure as a result of the miners' dispute, and I recognise that some additional help to them from central Government is necessary. It would not be right in principle for the central Government to bear all the additional cost, but I am prepared to make a special payment of 40 per cent. in addition to the normal police grant, of gross approved additional expenditure above the product of a penny rate. My Department will shortly discuss the matter in greater detail with the Association of Metropolitan Authorities and the Association of County Councils.
484WI also recognise that the police forces which have supplied mutual aid have had to incur additional expenditure on overtime payments to compensate for the absence of some of their officers. Under section 14 of the Police Act 1964 it is for the police authorities concerned to agree on the payments to be made by a force receiving mutual aid to the force supplying it, in the absence of agreement, the Secretary of State is to decide. My view is that it would be reasonable for the aided force to pay to the supplying force the additional costs, such as transport and overtime, incurred in respect of the units which have been sent as mutual aid; that the basic costs of men and vehicles, such as the basic pay, should not be reimbursed; but that some additional payment might reasonably be made in recognition of the additional expenditure on overtime incurred in the police area of the forces supplying mutual aid. While these are matters for the police authorities concerned in the first instance, the additional payments from the central Government which I have announced will take account of any payments that a police authority receiving mutual aid might agree to make in recognition of the additional overtime being worked in the police areas of those forces supplying mutual aid, but not of any payments in respect of the basic costs of the men and vehicles involved.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment is today making an announcement about exemption from grant holdback of the additional expenditure incurred by local authorities as a result of the policing of the dispute.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland will determine what broadly comparable arrangements should be made to take account of the different circumstances in Scotland.