§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 11 February 2002,Official Report, column 57W, on private medical insurance, how many police authority employees will be covered by the private medical insurance scheme begun in November 2001; what assessment he has made of the 159W reasons for Surrey police authority choosing to take out private medical insurance; and if he will make a statement. [37191]
§ Mr. Denham[holding answer 28 February 2002]: The chief constable of Surrey police informs me that about 2,800 police staff are covered by the private insurance scheme arranged by Surrey police authority.
The reasons given by the force for introducing the scheme are that it will help reduce sickness absence and ill health retirements and increase officer availability.