§ Mr. LansleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the correspondence sent by his Department in 2000 to chief constables asking them to submit claims for special grants to cover costs incurred by the petrol crisis. [150687]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeMy officials wrote to police authorities and to chief officers of police on 18 September and 15 December 2000 inviting claims for additional policing costs necessarily incurred during the fuel distribution emergency last year. Guidance was given that costs should be reasonable, proportionate to immediate local need and that claims should be audited in due course.
Claims for expenditure are now being examined and payment of the bulk of each claim will be made before the end of this financial year.
Copies of the correspondence have been placed in the Library.