Police Funding (Hansard, 3 March 2004)

§ David Maclean
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will meet inflationary costs in employment costs, pensions, and supplies and services as part of the 2004–05 funding settlement for police authorities. [151874]

§ Ms Blears
All police authorities in England and Wales will receive a 3.25 per cent. increase in general grants, above the police pay award increase of 3 per cent. and general inflation projections of 2.6 per cent.
Prospective police pensions' costs are taken into account when overall grant provision is determined.

§ Miss McIntosh
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how long(a) community support officers and (b) rural policy officers will be funded centrally; and who will pay for the officers when central funding lapses. [156872]

§ Ms Blears
All Home Office Community Support Officer (CSO) funding continues until March 2006. The potential for central funding of CSOs after March 2006 is being considered as part of the Spending Review 2004, although 21 police forces are currently employing 964 CSOs whose costs have not been funded by the Home Office.
The Rural Policing Fund is reviewed annually and there are no plans to abolish it. I am satisfied that the fund meets a genuine need to improve the policing of the most sparsely populated areas in England and Wales.

§ Mr Rosindell
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much of the cost of policing Havering is paid for by(a) central Government and (b) the local council; and what the total cost is in 2003–04. [157041]

§ Ms Blears
The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) set a final budget of £2.2 billion in 2003–04. £443 million was raised through the police precept on council tax and £1764 million from general grants. The internal distribution of resources is a matter for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis and the MPA.
I understand that Havering's police budget for 2003–04 is £17.3 million. In addition to this, Havering benefits from services provided by specialist crime and operations directorates as well as support from other pan-London operational units.