HC Deb 30 October 1984 vol 65 cc889-90W
Mr. Cohen

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people taken to police stations during the current coal mining strike have been detained overnight in each month of the dispute; and if he will summarise the reasons for these detentions.

Mr. Giles Shaw

The information requested is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Cohen

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases before the courts involving people in the current coal mining dispute have been based on assertion evidence for the prosecution by police officers not present at the time of the alleged offences.

Mr. Giles Shaw

This information is not available. If the hon. Member has a particular case in mind and cares to write to me I will look into it.

Mrs. Currie

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement concerning the costs to date of policing the National Union of Mineworkers' dispute(a) in the United Kingdom and (b) in Derbyshire.

Mr. Giles Shaw

Information on the total costs of the dispute to date is not available. Up to 24 October the Home Office had paid to police authorities in England and Wales advances of police grant and of the special payment my right hon. and learned Friend is making available on expenditure totalling some £80 million. I understand that up to 30 September the Derbyshire police authority had incurred expenditure of £6.156 million resulting from the policing of the dispute in its area by its own force but I have no information on the total sum which the authority owes to other police authorities for the provision of assistance in the course of the dispute.

Mrs. Currie

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the amounts to be contributed towards the costs of policing the National Union of Mineworkers' dispute in Derbyshire (a) by central Government and (b) by Derbyshire police committee.

Mr. Giles Shaw

My right hon. and learned Friend announced on 9 October that no police authority would have to bear from the rates more than the product of ¾ penny rate. In Derbyshire this is £0.812 million and all approved additional costs incurred as a result of the dispute above this sum will be met by the Government.

Mrs. Currie

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps can be taken to facilitate the availability of funds to Derbyshire police committee to pay the bills incurred by other local authorities which have sent assistance for the policing of the National Union of Mineworkers' dispute.

Mr. Giles Shaw

It is open to the Derbyshire police authority to seek from the Home Office advances of police grant and of the special payment to meet the costs of the dispute. The authority has sought and received such advances towards the costs of policing in its own area by its own force but has not sought such advances for the sums owed to other police authorities.

Mr. Corbyn

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for reports from chief constables about how many private cars reported in the vicinity of miners' picket lines have had their registration numbers reported to the stolen vehicles index.

Mr. Giles Shaw

I am making inquiries and shall write to the hon. Member.