§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the total sums paid in rent allowances to Metropolitan police officers in each year since 1979, broken down into payments made to subsidise rents and payments made to subsidise mortgage payments.
§ Mr. Giles ShawThe Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis tells me that total payments of rent allowance and compensatory grant to officers of the Metropolitan police who are not provided with police accommodation during the financial years 1979–80 to 1984–85 were as follows:
Total Metropolitan Police rent allowance and compensatory grant payments, 1979–80 to 1984–85 (£ million) Rent allowance Compensatory grant 1979–80 18.106 7.441 1980–81 18.895 7.866 1981–82 27.805 8.305 1982–83 28.225 11.433 1983–84 35.469 12.628 1984–85 37.140 15.883 Records are not kept showing whether officers used these payments to pay rent or to meet mortgage commitments.