HC Deb 15 January 2004 vol 416 cc881-2W
Mr. Woodward

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what expenditure has been allocated to(a) St. Helens, (b) Merseyside and (c) the North West region to tackle crime in each year since 1992. [141292]

Ms Blears

General grants to police authorities are unhypothecated to particular purposes and may be used as each police authority and chief officer decide, to support local policing plans. Government grant takes into account the whole range of policing activity, including tackling crime.

It is a matter for the Chief Constable and Police Authority to decide on the distribution of resources within the force area.

Police funding allocated to Merseyside and the North West is set out in the following tables. These figures also include specific grants agreed for particular purposes.

£ million
Government grant1

Merseyside

 North West2
1992–933 n/a n/a
1993–943 n/a n/a
1994–953 n/a n/a
1995–96 196.92 752.65
1996–97 203.40 789.41
1997–98 207.64 805.79
1998–99 213.22 834.17
1999–2000 215.31 852.13
2000–01 222.23 884.26
2001–024 234.24 939.82
2002–034 238.42 962.04
2003–04 253.72 1,022.16
1 Government Grant includes Home Office police grant, ODPM Revenue Support Grant and non-national domestic rates, Crime Fighting Fund, Rural Policing Grant, Basic Command Unit funding, Community Support Officer funding. DNA Expansion Programme, Street Crime Initiative and Special Priority payments.
2 The North West region is policed by Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside forces.
3 Before 1995–96, when most Police Authorities became independent local authorities, revenue support grant and non-national domestic rates were paid as part of respective county council grant funding.
4 The grant figures for 2001–02 and 2002–03 are not directly comparable, owing to changes from 2002–03 in the method of funding the National Crime Squad and the National Criminal Intelligence Service. These bodies became centrally rather than locally funded.

In addition, Merseyside and the North West forces received the following funding in capital grant, including Airwave and the Premises Improvement Fund.

£ million
Merseyside North West Region
1995–96 6.69 22.54
1996–97 5.46 17.73
1997–98 6.64 19.05
1998–99 3.52 12.92
1999–2000 3.13 13.46
2000–01 3.97 17.59
2001–02 3.94 45.46
2002–03 14.0 36.56
2003–04 9.52 34.96