§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement as to the costs to date in policing the National Union of Mineworkers' dispute in Leicestershire.
§ Mr. Giles ShawThe Leicestershire police calculate that the additional cost of policing the miners' dispute in the county up to 25 August, the latest date for which information is available, was about £9.045 million.
§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how much money is to be provided to Leicestershire police committee, and when, to enable payment to the other local authorities which provided police during the current National Union of Mineworkers' dispute;
(2) if he will provide details of the amounts to be contributed towards the costs of policing the current mining dispute to date (a) in Leicestershire and (b) in the remaining areas of the east midlands.
§ Mr. Giles ShawMy right hon. and learned Friend announced on 9 October that no police authority would have to bear from the rates as a result of the miners' dispute more than the product of 0.75 penny rate. In Leicestershire this is £882,000 and the costs falling on the police authority have already reached this level. All remaining approved additional costs will be met by the Government. The authority has sought and received advances of police 21W grant and of the special payment which he is making totalling £7.479 million to meet, among other costs, the costs of police authorities whose forces have provided assistance to the Leicestershire police. The contribution which other police authorities in the east midlands will receive from the Government towards their expenditure resulting from the dispute in their own area will depend on the amount of that expenditure. For example, in Nottinghamshire the Government are meeting all approved additional costs over £958,000.