HC Deb 22 October 1991 vol 196 c534W
Mr. David Nicholson

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimates he has of the cost to public funds of overtime payments in the police forces in England for each of the last five years; what representations he has received over the amount of overtime being worked and the cost thereof; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

Estimates of expenditure on police overtime are published annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, on the basis of information supplied by police authorities. Estimates for the last five years are given in the table. The budget of a police force, including its expenditure on overtime, is the responsibility of the police authority. The Home Office pays specific grant on 51 per cent. of this expenditure—52 per cent. in the case of the Metropolitan police. Local authorities pay the remainder, though their share is supported through the revenue support grant system. We have not received any recent representations about the cost of police overtime.

Estimated Expenditure on Police Overtime
England excluding Metropolitan Police Metropolitan Police
1986–87 80.474 1
1987–88 87.210 1
1988–89 95.863 268.48
1989–90 100.609 59.2
1990–91 112.973 59.743
1 Not available
2 Outturn figure