§ Mr. Lomasasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average total of the extras payable to a police constable, after five years' service, on top of his basic wage.
§ Mr. Merlyn Rees:The allowances payable above basic salary vary according to the individual circumstances of an officer and the force of which he is a member. There is no meaningful average.
The main allowances, most of which are not affected by length of service, payable to police constables are:
- (1) Rent allowance—the current range of maximum allowances for officers is from £1222 per week to £22.55 a week—effectively tax free—depending on the force concerned;
- (2) Overtime and rest days and public holiday working—the hourly rate is time-and-a-third, time-and-a-half and double time, respectively;
- (3) London Weighting—£319 a year;
- (4) Under-manning allowance—officers in the Metropolitan and certain other areas are paid an allowane of up to £65 a year;
- (5) Plain clothes allowance—officers required to perform duty in plain clothes are paid £102 a year;
786 - (6) National Health Charges—all police offiers are reimbursed NHS charges.