§ Mr. Hendersonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements he proposes to help police authorities in Scotland to meet the extra costs of policing in connection with the miners' dispute.
§ Mr. YoungerThe Government already pay police grant of 50 per cent. on all approved police expenditure, and the extra costs of policing in connection with the miners' dispute will continue to attract this assistance. In addition, I am prepared to pay a further 40 per cent. grant, in addition to the normal police grant, on that part of gross approved additional expenditure that exceeds the product of 0.67 of a penny rate for the area. This is the established equivalent figure for Scotland of the penny rate threshold that was announced on 11 May, at columns 483–84, by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department in relation to England and Wales.
In addition, in any assessment of a local authority's liability for loss of grant under general abatement of grant in 1983–84 or 1984–85, I propose to disregard that part of an authority's expenditure arising from these additional policing costs.