§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his Department's involvement in the public safety radio communications project. [13778]
§ Mr. MacleanMy Department is responsible for managing the public safety radio communications project in close co-operation with representatives of the police and fire services. The procurement, which will be based on the private finance initiative, was formally launched with the appearance of a notice to potential suppliers in theOfficial Journal of the European Communities on 23 January 1996.
§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what financial and manpower resources he is making available to the public safety radio communications project. [13779]
§ Mr. MacleanThe public safety radio communications project will employ the equivalent of 19 officers plus consultants in 1996–97 at a cost of approximately £1 million. A substantial sum of money, which is commercially confidential, has been put aside as a contribution to the cost of project definition studies, contracts for which are currently the subject of a European-wide procurement exercise.
§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what timetable was originally planned for the public safety radio communications project and what is the present timetable. [13780]
§ Mr. MacleanThe implementation of new radio communications systems for the police service in England and Wales, through the public safety radio communications project, is expected to be completed by 2003. This was the original timetable and has not changed.