HC Deb 23 January 2001 vol 361 cc548-9W
Mr. Heald

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimates he has made of the national cost to the Police service of(a) pay, (b) pensions, (c) capital financing and (d) national crime fighting agency levies, in (i) 2000–01 and (ii) 2001–02; [145019]

(2) what assessment he has made of real terms differences in the costs of (a) pay, (b) pensions, (c) capital financing and (d) national crime fighting agency levies to local police forces between 2000–01 and 2001–02; [145022]

(3) what estimates he has made of the average cost to local police forces of (a) pay, (b) pensions, (c) capital financing and (d) national crime fighting agency levies in (i) 2000–01 and (ii) 2001–02. [145020]

Mr. Charles Clarke

[holding answer 15 January 2001]: Detailed estimates of police service costs are made annually by individual police authorities and forces. Each makes its own projections to pay and pensions' costs. In formulating projections of the total financial provision the Government are able to support, careful account is taken of advice from the Association of Police Authorities and the Association of Chief Police Officers of emerging trends. Account is also taken of estimated pay inflation and pension costs.

Total Standard Spending (TSS) for 2000–01 is £7,354.2 million. The provision TSS for 2001–02 is £7,731.8 million, an increase of 5.1 per cent. in cash terms of 2.6 per cent. in real terms. Allocation between police authorities of TSS is by formula, and is unhypothecated.

I make no estimates of an average cost to local police forces of individual parts of the overall settlement.

The police services received £144.43 million in capital grants and supplementary credit approvals in 2000–01. Provision was made in the Spending Review for a further £13 million in supplementary credit approval in 2001–02, making £157.43 million in total. This is an increase of 9 per cent. in cash or 6.3 per cent. in real terms. In addition to their share of this direct central provision and support, police authorities may incur additional capital expenditure from their own resources.

Levies for the National Crime Squad and the National Criminal Intelligence Service totalled £148.97 million in 2000–01. For 2001–02 they will be £163.54 million. This is an increase of 9.8 per cent. in cash or 7.1 per cent. in real terms.