HC Deb 14 May 2002 vol 385 cc602-3W
Mr. McNamara

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding is available for targeted policing initiatives. [48660]

Mr. Denham

[holding answer 17 April 2002]: We have targeted significant levels of resources at forces through the Crime Fighting Fund (CFF) to recruit 9,000 officers over and above forces previous recruitment plans in the three years to March 2003. We made available £58.9 million in 2000–01, £151.7 million in 2001–02 with provision of £244.0 million in 2002–03 and £272 million for 2003–04 to meet the estimated continuing cost of officers recruited through the CFF.

We have made £75 million available since 2000–01 to enhance the policing service in rural areas, including £30 million for 2002–03. Spending Review (SR) 2000 provided a further £30 million for next year. Police authorities receiving the grant must demonstrate in their annual policing plans each year how the resources are used to enhance rural policing and crime reduction and community safety in rural areas.

The Government are committed to investment in technological support for the police, and to reducing the burden of unnecessary bureaucracy and increasing efficiency. £703 million has been made available since 1999–2000. Key projects funded are AIRWAVE2014;the new national police communications system; the National Strategy for Police Information Systems2014;a suite of software applications to improve the recording and delivery of information across the police service and the wider criminal justice system; the National Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems and Police Direct2014;telephone and e-mail facilities for the reporting of non-urgent crime.

The estimated amount of central funding for the DNA Expansion Programme from April 2000 to March 2004 is £187 million.

£30 million has been committed to 60 targeted policing projects under the Crime Reduction Programme since 1999.

In addition, £4 million has been made available in 2002–03 to the Police Standards Unit to drive up police performance.

Mr. Jenkins

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the percentage increase in funding of(a) Staffordshire police and (b) all police forces in each of the past seven years. [32242]

Mr. Denham

The information is set out in the table.

Percentage increase
Increase Staffordshire All England and Wales
1995–96 to 1996–97 8.3 3.7
1996–97 to 1997–98 2.0 2.2
1997–98 to 1998–99 –1.1 3.2
1998–99 to 1999–2000 1.3 2.3
1999–2000 to 2000–01 4.0 3.4
2000–01 to 2001–02 5.1 6.4
2001–02 to 2002–03 13.6 13.5
1 Figures for 2001–02 are not directly comparable with 2002–03 owing to the changes in funding arrangements for the National Crime Squad/National Criminal Intelligence Service. The figures have been adjusted accordingly.

Notes:

  1. 1. Total Grant includes Police Principal Grant. Rural Policing Grant, Crime Fighting Fund and the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR) Revenue Support Grant (RSG), National Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR), Standard Spending Assessment reduction grant and Central Support Protection Grant.
  2. 2. Figures for the City of London included within the overall percentage increases for England and Wales include Police Principal Grant only. NNDR and RSG are paid to the City of London Corporation for all services, including the police.
Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much of the additional£180 million being allocated in 2002–03 to address street crime policing and counter-terrorism, referred to on 17 April 2002,Official Report, column 589, will be spent in 2002–03. [52866]

Mr. Denham

It is intended that all the additional funding will be spent in 2002–03.