§ Sir John WheelerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the total costs of provincial police forces will be met from all central sources of funding, direct and indirect, in the current financial year; and what percentage will be raised locally.
§ Mr. Peter LloydSpecific grant will be paid at the rate of 51 per cent. on all provincial police forces' revenue expenditure and on approved capital expenditure. A proportion of the remaining 49 per cent. is provided by central Government through revenue support grant, redistributed business rates and community charge grant. Support other than specific grant is not hypothecated to particular services, and decisions on what portion of this other support should go to meet police expenditure are at the discretion of the local authority concerned. We estimate that, overall, some 90 per cent. of police expenditure is met directly or indirectly through central funding, including revenue support grant redistributed business rates and community charge grant.