HC Deb 21 February 1978 vol 944 cc580-2W
Mr. Goodlad

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to facilitate the availability of statistics of orders for foreign manufactured cars by police forces in England and Wales.

Dr. Summerskill

My right hon. Friend does not propose to ask police forces to notify orders for, as well as acquisitions of, foreign cars. The number of such cars in police fleets is published annually in the report, which is laid before Parliament, of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary.

Mr. Goodlad

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign manufactured cars have been acquired by constabularies throughout the United Kingdom in January 1978; and if he will list the constabularies concerned.

Dr. Summerskill

No such acquisitions have been notified to the Home Office.

Mr. Goodlad

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign manufactured motor bicycles have been acquired by constabularies throughout the United Kingdom in the last 12 months; how the figure compares with comparable periods over the past four years; and if he will list the constabularies concerned.

Foreign motor cycles of 600cc and above Foreign motor cycles of 600cc
Force 1974 1975 1976 1977 1974 1975 1976 1977
Avon and Somerset 3 19 6 3 17
Bedfordshire 2 6 1
Cambridgeshire 6 8
Cheshire 18 22 2 2
Cleveland 2 5 3 2
Cumbria 4 6 6 7
Derbyshire 5 8
Devon and Cornwall 5 5 5 5
Dorset 6 10 6 10
Durham 4 4
Essex 3 12 16 11
Gloucestershire 4 6 4 12 12 12
Greater Manchester 24 13 14
Gwent 2 6 8
Hampshire 11 23 24 3 26
Hertfordshire 3 5 7 6
Humberside 6 3 5
Kent 2 68 61 10 38 24
Lancashire 29 5
Leicestershire 9 15
Lincolnshire 5 11
Merseyside 12
Norfolk 1 7 8 7
Northamptonshire 3 7
Northumbria 6 14
North Wales 9 5
North Yorkshire 6
Nottinghamshire 10 11 32 8 5
South Wales 11 5
South Yorkshire 15 2
Staffordshire 10 3 1
Suffolk 10 5 4
Surrey 18 17 1 2
Sussex 1 15 1 19 12 13 11
Thames Valley 8 8 8 12
Warwickshire 1 2
West Mercia 6 6 6
West Midlands 29 24 20 12 10
West Yorkshire 1 6 6 5
Wiltshire 6 6 1
City of London 2 6 6
Metropolitan 3 19 53 60 2 11 1
Total 17 54 279 478 189 178 150 109

Mr. Goodlad

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what directives his Department has issued to constabularies in England and Wales in connection with the purchase of foreign manufactured cars and motor cycles.

Dr. Summerskill

Police authorities and chief officers of police were told in June 1975 that we assumed that they would wish to survey the market carefully before buying foreign cars and motor cycles and satisfy themselves that no suitable British-made vehicles of comparable specification and price were available.

Dr. Summerskill

The Home Office has been notified over the four-year period of the following acquisitions: