§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for reports from chief constables on the cost(a) per constable hour, (b) at overtime rates per officer, (c) in numbers of police involved and (d) in number of police man-hours used, in order to cover the duties of ambulance staffs currently in dispute (i) nationally and (ii) in Nottinghamshire.
§ Mr. Peter LloydPolice constables' pay is on a scale connected with number of years of service. It is therefore not possible to give a national hourly basic or overtime rate per officer. For examples of hourly rates charged by some police authorities for assisting ambulance services, I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hyde (Mr. Pendry) on 8 February,Official Report, column 722.
I understand that the Nottinghamshire force is likely to charge approximately £18 per hour, a rate which includes national insurance and pension contributions and rent allowance.
I understand that the total number of man hours which forces have provided in assisting ambulance services in England and Wales up to and including 13 February has been about 1.1 million. In Nottinghamshire, where assistance has been provided by the police for only a few days recently, I understand that the number of man hours is about 1,100. Information on the number of police officers involved either in Nottinghamshire or nationally is not readily available.
§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to the way in374W which the cost incurred by the Metropolitan police arising from the current ambulance workers' dispute is (a) calculated and (b) recouped; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe London ambulance service is charged for the hours worked by officers at full salary cost for normal duty hours and the appropriate rates for overtime. Other costs, including those for vehicles and catering, are charged on a full repayment basis; and there is a 5 per cent. charge to cover administrative overheads.
Costs are claimed weekly from the London ambulance service two weeks in arrears.