§ Mr. TraceyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is taking to enable the Metropolitan police to create a financial reserve.
§ Mr. HowardI have arranged to make available to the Metropolitan police £20 million to help create a financial reserve. This sum represents the total value of savings the force has said that it expects to make against the cash limit for 1994–95. The reserve will be available for use in subsequent years outside the Metropolitan police non-voted cash limit and I am reducing the 1994–95 cash limit by £20,000,000 from £1,616,511,000 to £1,596,511,000 accordingly. The relevant sum of police current grant will be paid as a special grant under section 1 of the Police Act 1909.
This new flexibility is, I know, welcomed by the commissioner and the receiver.