HL Deb 27 November 2000 vol 619 cc116-7WA
Lord Haskel

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When they will announce funding allocations to police forces taking up the new police radio service "Airwave" in 2001–2002. [HL4817]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Bassam of Brighton)

Earlier this year, my right honourable friend the Home Secretary announced that the Government were making provision of £500 million over three years to meet the costs of a new police radio service known as "Airwave". All police authorities which have signed their service contracts for the new service will benefit from this funding. This will relieve them of a significant burden that would otherwise have had to be met from their policing budgets.

Those forces which feature early in the roll-out programme and whose authorities have signed their service contracts will receive the following allocations in 2001–02. The remaining authorities which have signed their service contracts will receive their allocations in the subsequent two years.

Allocation of Airwave Grant for 2001–02
Year 1
Force £000s Capital £000s Revenue
Lancashire Constabulary 4,922 2,557
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) 10,259 5,329
North Yorkshire Police 2,109 1,096
West Mercia Constabulary 3,095 1,608
Gloucestershire Constabulary 1,684 875
Leicestershire Constabulary 2,796 1,453
Suffolk Constabulary 1,886 980
Devon & Cornwall Constabulary 4,755 2,470
Avon & Somerset Constabulary 4,597 2,388
Derbyshire Constabulary 2,789 1,449
Durham Constabulary Contracts Not signed
Dorset Police 1,913 994
Humberside Police 3,101 1,611
Northumbria Police 5,771 2,998
Cumbria Constabulary 1,650 676
Wiltshire Constabulary 1,769 724
Cambridgeshire Constabulary 2,052 840
Thames Valley Police 6,138 2,514
Gwent Constabulary 1,885 772
Dyfed-Powys Police 1,408 0
Hertfordshire Constabulary 3,045 0
South Wales Constabulary 4,432 0
Total England & Wales 70,143 30,340

A further £2.226 million (capital) and £1,156 million (revenue) will be available for distribution in 2001–02 to the other police authority listed once it has signed its service contract.

Payment to BT for the core service will be made centrally.