§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to reimburse the Lancashire police authority for the cost of policing political party conferences held in Blackpool. [16154]
§ Mr. MacleanNone at present, but Lancashire police authority has been told that we would be prepared to consider the special payment of police grant under section 31 B of the Police Act 1964 for exceptional expenditure incurred in connection with safeguarding national security for the 1997 party conference. We would assess the case for a special grant in the context of the relative financial burden that the party political conferences impose on the force and in the light of the security situation prevailing at the time.