HC Deb 20 April 1994 vol 241 cc512-3W
Mr. Mike O'Brien

To ask the Secretary of Sate for the Home Department what was the total cost of advertising and promoting the parish constable initiative incurred by his Department.

Mr. Charles Wardle

There has bneen no formal advertising or promotional activity. The parish constables initiative was promoted through exchanges between the Home Office and police forces and parish councils in the course of normal business.

Mr. Mike O'Brien

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what extra resources his Department has provided to fund the provision of parish constables.

Mr. Charles Wardle

I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 18 April at columns352-54.

Mr. Mike O'Brien

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has had from councils to provide funding for the provision of parish constables; and what has been his response.

Mr. Charles Wardle

The only representations of this kind that have been received from parish councils have suggested that the special constables serving as parish special constables, or the members of the public serving as wardens, should be paid either by the state or out of council funds. In the case of parish special constables, this would be contrary to the tradition of the special constabulary. Special constables volunteer their time and are not paid, although they receive allowances and out-of-pocket expenses for their hours of duty. This has not proved an obstacle to take-up of the initiative. More than 40 schemes are now up and running.