§ Mr. Stephen TwiggTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to make additional appointments to the Metropolitan Police Committee. [54138]
§ Mr. StrawI have today appointed the following as members of the Metropolitan Police Committee:
- Councillor Lincoln Beswick (Labour, Brent)
- Councillor Toby Harris (Labour, Haringey)
- Councillor Barbara Hughes (Labour, Camden)
- Councillor Tim Joiner (Conservative, Westminster)
- Councillor Serge Lourie (Liberal Democrat, Richmond upon Thames)
- Councillor Maggie Mansell (Labour, Croydon)
- Councillor Derek Sawyer (Labour, Islington)
- Councillor Michael Slaughter (Conservative, Bexley)
- Councillor Ala Uddin (Labour, Tower Hamlets)
- Councillor Ron Gee (Independent, Epsom & Ewell).
They will join the eleven existing members, who are Sir John Quinton, who will remain Chair, Miss Maria Callaghan, Mr. Thomas Chan, Councillor Maurice Heaster (Conservative, Wandsworth), Major General Malcolm Hunt, Councillor Margaret O'Neill (Labour, Bexley), Mrs. Shahwar Sadeque, Mr. Mark Souhami, Mr. Inder Uppal, Mr. Reginald Watts and Ms Rachel Whittaker.
Nine of the new members were nominated by the Association of Local Government, in response to my request for nominations reflecting the current make-up of London Boroughs. The tenth is the representative of the Outer London Metropolitan Police Group.
The new members will take up their appointments on 1 September 1998. The Committee's task will continue to be to advise me in relation to the discharge of certain of my functions as police authority for the Metropolitan Police. The functions in question are based on those 255W which, outside London, are the responsibility of the police authorities established under the Police Act 1964, as amended by the Police Act 1996.
In particular, I look to the Committee to prepare for the Metropolitan Police Authority which we intend to establish as part of our proposals for a Mayor and Assembly for London.
The next couple of years bring new challenges, with the Crime and Disorder Bill, efficiency plans and the preparation for the Metropolitan Police Authority. The whole Committee has much to contribute on these and other key issues.
§ Mr. WilshireTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the funding of the transitional arrangements necessary to enable those parts of the Metropolitan Police District not within the Greater London boundary to be transferred to neighbouring police force areas in April 2000. [53213]
§ Mr. MichaelThe changes to the Metropolitan Police District boundaries are expected to come into effect in April 2000. It is likely that transitional costs in transferring those areas not within the boundary of the proposed Greater London Authority to other forces will fall in the financial year 1999–2000. It is too early to give an accurate estimate of the size of such costs but they will be taken into account when considering the needs of the police areas affected.