§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average cost was of employing a police constable for a year in(a) a provincial police force and (b) London in the last 12 months. [32735]
§ Mr. Denham[holding answer 4 February 2002]: The pay related and notional pensions costs are set out in the table.
287W
£ London forces Provincial Constable (a) Constable (b) Constable (a) Constable (b) Notional pension costs (30 per cent. of salary) 5,953 7,529 5,953 7,529 Free travel 120 120 0 0 South East Allowance 0 0 1— 0 Total 33,871 43,998 27,098 38,352 1 Figures do not include the South East Allowance paid since 1 April 2001 to officers appointed on or after 1 September 1994 who are not in receipt of a housing allowance. The allowance, including national insurance contributions, is £2,180 for officers in Thames Valley, Essex, Kent, Hertfordshire and Surrey and £1,090 for officers in Beds, Hants and Sussex. Notes:
1. (a) new recruit (b) Constable: average cost, including rent allowance, after eight years service.
2. On commencing service, a constable's pay from 1 September 2001 was £17,733. The direct pay element for new police recruits increases after successful completion of 31 weeks' initial training to £19,842. The latter figure is included in (a) above.
3. The figures for the Metropolitan police and City of London police include London weighting and London Allowance and the cost of free travel.