HC Deb 18 October 1993 vol 230 cc63-5W
Mr. Mackinlay

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent Home Office police regulations are applied to members of the Ministry of Defence police.

Mr. Hanley

The Ministry of Defence police force (MDP) is constituted in accordance with the Ministry of Defence Police Act 1987. This Act, from which the independent MDP force derives its authority, sets out where and how far the MDP powers and privileges of constable operate in the United Kingdom.

In addition to the 1987 Act, Home Office guidelines have been drawn up to assist in defining the respective responsibilities of the MDP and local police forces. These have been agreed by the Association of Chief Police Officers for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland and by the chief constable MDP.

As with the Home Department Police Forces, the MDP operates in accordance with all appropriate legislation and in particular the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.

As well as holding the office of constable, the MDP are non-industrial civil servants and their terms and conditions of employment being covered by both departmental and police regulations reflect this unique position. Those areas of employment specifically drawn from police regulations encompass:

  • Appointment Qualifications
  • Probation
  • Discipline
  • Conditional Allowances
  • Pay
  • Overtime
  • "Police" Allowances, e.g.:
    • Housing
    • Plain Clothes
    • Detective Duty
    • Detective Expenses
  • Leave

Mr. Mackinlay

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if a Minister from his Department will meet representatives of the Ministry of Defence Police Federation to discuss the ramifications of(a) the Sheehy report, (b) the White Paper on police and (c) matters of general concern to federation members which are not operational matters reserved for the chief constable.

Mr. Hanley

The Government have yet to complete their deliberations on the way forward in implementing the recommendations of the Sheehy report and the White Paper on police and it is too early to say how far these initiatives will apply to the Ministry of Defence police. A review team is to be appointed under the chairmanship of Sir John Blelloch, to examine how these and other matters may affect the future structure, organisation and conditions of service of the Ministry of Defence police. The review team will consult widely and seek among others the views of the MOD police staff associations including the Defence Police Federation. These matters will also be considered in accordance with the normal consultative procedures and a special meeting of the Ministry of Defence police joint consultative committee (JCC) is to be convened for this purpose.

Under the terms of the consultative agreement the MOD police staff associations are allowed access to Ministers, but matters raised should normally have been first considered within the joint consultative committee forum. At this stage therefore it would be premature for Ministers to meet representatives of the Defence Police Federation, but should their representatives have continuing concerns following the special JCC meeting, it would be open for them to seek discussions at ministerial level.

Mr. Mackinlay

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who serves on the police committee of the Ministry of Defence police; and how often it has met over the past five years.

Mr. Hanley

The current membership of the Ministry of Defence police committee is as follows:

  • Second Permanent Under Secretary of State—Chairman
  • Vice Chief of the Defence Staff—Vice Chairman
  • Deputy Under Secretary of State (Civilian Management)
  • Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff1—(Operations/Security)
  • Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff
  • Assistant Chief of the General Staff
  • Assistant Chief of the Air Staff1
  • Assistant Under Secretary of State (Security and Counter 65 Terrorism)—Clerk
  • Such other persons as the Secretary of State may from time to time appoint.

In addition, the following who are not members attend the meetings on a regular basis:

  • Chief Constable Ministry of Defence Police—accompanied by the Deputy Chief Constable MDP and Head of MDP Secretariat as required)
  • Police Adviser
  • Scottish Police Adviser

The number of times the police committee has met over the last five years is as follows:

Year Number
1989 4
1990 3
1991 4
1992 4
1993 3
Total 18
1 ACDS (Ops/Sy) and ACAS replace Assistant Under Secretary for Research and Development Establishments and Research Administration, AUS(ER), a defunct post and Commodore General and Director General of Security for the Royal Air Force (CG and DG SY(RAF)). The latter posts are at present included in statutory instrument 1988 No. 1098 which promulgates the police committee membership, but a new statutory instrument in the course of preparation will reflect the updated changes in composition.

Mr. Mackinlay

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what joint consultation procedure exists between the police committee of the Ministry of Defence police, and that force's Police Federation, and the representative bodies of other ranks at which matters relating to police pay and conditions of service are discussed; what is the membership of the joint body; and on how many occasions it has met in the past five years.

Mr. Hanley

Ministry of Defence police pay and conditions of service are discussed in accordance with the memorandum of agreement on the consultative machinery between the Ministry of Defence, the Defence Police Federation (DPF) and the Chief Police Officers Association (CPOA). The means of implementing this agreement is the Ministry of Defence police joint consultative committee (JCC). The membership of this joint consultative committee is as follows:

Official Side Representation

  • 2nd Permanent Under Secretary of State—Chairman
  • Deputy Under Secretary of State (Civilian Management)—
  • Deputy Chairman
  • Vice Chief of The Defence Staff
  • Chief Constable Ministry of Defence Police
  • Head of Ministry of Defence Police Secretariat

Staff Side Representation

  • Chairman of the Chief Police Officers' Association
  • Chairman of the Defence Police Federation
  • Vice-Chairman of the Defence Police Federation
  • General Secretary of the Defence Police Federation

Secretariat

  • Civilian Management (Ministry of Defence Police)

The JCC normally meets twice a year and there have been nine meetings in the past five years.