§ Dr. WrightTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if police authorities are subject to investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, scrutiny by the Audit Commission,(c) scrutiny by the National Audit Office, (d) statutory provisions for open government, (e) performance indicators and (f) provisions under the citizens charter. [25974]
§ Mr. Maclean[holding answer 22 April 1996]: Police authorities, established under the Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994, are not open to investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner but by the Commissioner for Local Administration. Similarly, they are subject to scrutiny by the Audit Commission, not the National Audit Office. Also, the Audit Commission's citizens charter performance indicators include a range of indicators that apply to the police service, and police authorities are required to publish these annually. As regards statutory provision for open government, police authorities are bound by rules similar to those that apply to local government.
§ Dr. WrightTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what(a) annual reports, (b) annual accounts, minutes of meetings, (d) agendas of meetings and (e) registers of members' interests are published by police authorities; and if in each case this is under a statutory requirement. [25969]
§ Mr. Maclean[holding answer 22 April 1996]: The Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994, which established the new police authorities, requires them to publish an annual report on local policing for that year and to copy that report to the Home Secretary. Under the Act, they are also bound by provisions in the Local Government Act 1972, as amended, which require agendas, minutes of proceedings and accounts to be open to inspection during reasonable hours and also requires members to declare any direct or indirect pecuniary interest in business which is under discussion. Additionally, regulations are being prepared which will extend to police authorities a requirement to maintain a register of members' interests which is similarly open to public inspection.
§ Dr. WrightTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was(a) the gross public spending for each year since 1990–91, in 1995–96 prices and (b) is the projected expenditure for each year to 1997–98, in 1995–96 prices, of police authorities. [25975]
87W
§ Mr. Maclean[holding answer 22 April 1996]Expenditure in 1995–96 prices by police authorities in England and Wales in the period 1990–91 to 1995–96 was as follows:
- 1990–91: £5,607 million
- 1991–92: £5,896 million
- 1992–93: £6,150 million
- 1993–94: £6,309 million
- 1994–95: £6,449 million
- 1995–96: £6,606 million (estimated)
Details of projected police authority expenditure are not available beyond 1996–97, for which the figure is £6,715 million.