§ Mr. ChopeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases in each of the last five years the Metropolitan Police has funded in whole or in part the legal costs of serving or former police officers facing criminal charges; and in how many cases funding is still continuing. [69843]
§ Mr. Boateng[holding answer 8 February 1999]: At my request, the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis is arranging for information about the number of cases there are being funded in the current financial year to be collated, and I will write to the hon. Member when that is available. Relevant information for the previous four years is not recorded centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Commissioner tells me that the Metropolitan Police are currently reviewing their system for recording such information.