§ Mr. Eldon Griffithsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how soon he expects to be in a position to report to the House on progress being made to implement Lord Edmund-Davies's recommendations about closer consultations between chief officers and local representatives of police staff associations; and if he will confine those areas of policy which chief officers may exclude from such consultations, for example on grounds of confidentiality, strictly to matters that are demonstrably operational;
(2) what steps he is taking to implement the recommendations made one year 660W ago in part III of Lord Edmund-Davies's report on the police service; and, in particular, what proposals he has formulated to enable the police staff associations to be consulted in advance about legislation that affects them.
§ Mr. WhitelawIt is my intention to send a circular to police authorities and chief constables shortly about the report of the Edmund-Davies committee on the structure and role of police staff associations, many of whose recommendations fall to be implemented at local level. The Police Advisory Board considered the report at its meeting on 25 June and remitted detailed consideration of the recommendations to a small group of its members. At the meeting on 25 June I assured the board that I would seek to ensure that, as envisaged by the Edmund-Davies committee, police interests would be borne in mind throughout the formative stage of legislation according to benefits on employees.