§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional resources were made available for policing and security at the 1989(a) Labour party conference at Brighton, and (b) Conservative party conference at Blackpool; and what were the costs.
§ Mr. Peter LloydI understand from the chief officers of the forces concerned that the additional costs of policing the 1989 party conferences were estimated as follows:
Conference Force Additional cost (£) Labour Sussex 4,000 Conservative Lancashire 1,080,000 The level of resources provided for the policing of party conferences is an operational matter for the chief officer of police in the light of all the circumstances, including an assessment of the threat of terrorist attack and a recognition that there is a serious threat to members of the Government.
The additional costs of policing will be met by the Sussex and Lancashire police authorities. Under the normal funding arrangements, the Government contribute both directly through police grant—which is at 51 per cent.—and indirectly through block grant.
The parties themselves also incur costs on specific security measures at their conferences.