§ Mr. CoakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what progress is being made with respect to the Public Safety Radio Communications Project; and if he will make a statement; [88605]
(2) what funding arrangements will be put in place for the Public Safety Radio Communications Project. [88606]
§ Mr. BoatengThe Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO), a Home Office Non-Departmental Public Body, is managing the Public Safety Radio Communications Project (PSRCP). This is a major Public Private Partnership project designed to replace the police service's existing radio communications systems with a modern national infrastructure delivered under a service provision contract. The Service Provider will design, build, fund and own the infrastructure and individual police forces will contract to take a range of core (mandatory) and menu (optional) services for anticipated contract periods of 15 years.
A Project Definition Study has been completed and negotiations on price and contractual terms are now in progress with British Telecommunications as the candidate Service Provider. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Association of Police Authorities (APA) are being kept fully briefed of progress. When negotiations are concluded, a formal business case will shortly be put to Ministers, ACPO and the APA, for a decision on its acceptance.
Over the next three years the police service will receive an additional£1.24 billion in central government funding. It is a matter for each police authority to set their budget and for each chief constable to determine how to use the resources that are available. The scope for additional funding for PSRCP is under consideration.