§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the remuneration of special constables. [99551]
§ Mr. DenhamWe have introduced the Special Constabulary (Amendment) Regulations 2002 to allow Police Authorities, following a recommendation of the Chief Officer, to make proposals to pay a locally funded allowance to special constables appointed for their area (or part of their area). Such schemes will require the approval of the Secretary of State.
The change in Regulations will enable a number of trial schemes to be run to help establish what effect such locally funded payments have on Specials' recruitment and retention and the number of hours they are able to offer their force.
§ Bob RussellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the strength was of the special constabulary in each police authority area in(a) May 1997 and (b) May 2001; and what the strength is in each area. [99638]
§ Mr. DenhamSpecial constabulary numbers for this period are recorded centrally every six months in September and March. The latest figures available and the number of serving special constables in each police force area for March 1997 and 2001 are set out in the table.
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Police force urea March 1997 March 2001 March 2002 Avon and Somerset 759 400 364 Bedfordshire 182 115 118 Cambridgeshire 303 218 207 Cheshire 475 290 191 Cleveland 160 93 85 Cumbria 189 156 102 Derbyshire 428 275 260 Devon and Cornwall 1,148 796 689 Dorset 289 267 253 Durham 184 146 134 Essex 634 445 381 Gloucestershire 297 183 154 Greater Manchester 685 367 338 Hampshire 621 454 444 Hampshire 621 454 444 Hertfordshire 297 198 206 Humberside 340 212 207 Kent 589 392 327 Lancashire 483 360 363 Leicestershire 415 162 143 Lincolnshire 271 166 155 City of London 86 43 36 Merseyside 401 541 468 Metropolitan Police 1,714 774 680 Norfolk 402 259 244 Northamptonshire 316 188 177 Northumbria 533 300 256 North Yorkshire 362 182 185 Nottinghamshire 620 335 341 South Yorkshire 308 188 206 Staffordshire 685 402 384 Suffolk 379 349 308 Surrey 297 149 187 Sussex 472 306 306 Thames Valley 656 418 356 Warwickshire 381 221 209 West Mercia 582 399 339 West Midlands 945 617 598 West Yorkshire 690 415 349 Wiltshire 154 152 147 Dyfed-Powys 283 191 157 Gwent 157 137 142 North Wales 341 207 125 South Wales 361 254 277 Total all forces 19,874 12,722 11,598 Since March 1998, information on the strength of special constabularies for each Police Force has been published in the Home Office Statistical Bulletins on police strength in England and Wales, copies of which are available in the Library.
§ Bob RussellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will make a statement on the outcome of the Special Constabulary Weekend of 21–23 February. [99639]
§ Mr. DenhamThe initial responses that we have received following the National Specials Weekend have been very positive, showing the impressive contribution that specials make to policing. Some of the activities of the Weekend will form the basis of an article to be published in March in `Specialbeat' (an internal Special Constabulary magazine). An article on the Weekend's outcomes will also appear on the new website www.specialconstables.gov.uk which was launched at the same time as the Weekend. I am grateful to the hon. Member who replied to my invitation to support the Weekend.
§ Bob RussellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make further funding available to chief constables to finance allowances under the Special Constables (Amendment) Regulations 2002 1093W to assist schemes aimed at the recruitment and retention of special constables; and if he will make a statement; [99645]
(2) if he will investigate local schemes introduced under the Special Constables (Amendment) Regulations 2002 to assess the effect of payment on recruitment and retention of special constables; and if he will publish the findings of such an investigation; [99646]
(3) how many police authorities have applied to him for approval to introduce an allowance for special constables under the Special Constables (Amendment) Regulations 2002; how many he has (a) approved and (b) refused; and what measures he has taken to monitor schemes; [99647]
(4) what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to exempt special constables from income tax being levied on allowances paid under the Special Constables (Amendment) Regulations 2002; and if he will make a statement. [99644]
§ Mr. DenhamWe recognise that some forces feel it would be helpful to use local funding to pay specials involved in particular schemes and introduced The Special Constables (Amendment) Regulations 2002, which came into force on 10 January 2003. Under these new regulations, Police Authorities may, following a recommendation by the Chief Officer, make proposals to pay a locally funded allowance to special constables appointed for their area (or part of their area). Proposals must have the approval of the Secretary of State.
It is for the Police Authority to propose the size and terms and conditions of an allowance appropriate to their area or scheme. It will be open to police authorities to obtain sponsorship to help fund the schemes or to fund them entirely from their existing resources. We expect that, when they are developing proposals, police authorities will take advice from the Inland Revenue on the likely implications of paying an allowance.
Several police authorities have expressed an interest in developing allowance schemes but we have yet to receive any formal proposals. We will be looking for a number of innovative trial schemes which will enable an evidence-based assessment to be made of the effect of local payment schemes on recruitment and retention and the number of hours offered by specials, and whether such schemes offer value for money.