Gareth ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the National Assembly for Wales Government about the use of Private Finance Initiative by North Wales police(a) for refurbishment and replacement of police stations and (b) generally. [170319]
§ Ms Blears[holding answer 4 May 2004]: I met Welsh Assembly Minister Edwina Hart AM last year to discuss funding of Welsh police forces generally. My officials have also had discussions with their counterparts in the Assembly regarding Private Finance Initiative (PFI) schemes and more generally on Welsh police funding. North Wales police currently have one PFI scheme approved for the divisional HQ at St. Asaph, 786W which is under construction. Another scheme put forward by the force is under consideration, jointly by the Welsh Assembly Government and the Home Office.
Welsh PFI schemes need the approval of the Welsh Assembly Government, as they are responsible for providing the annual revenue grant on the service charge.
Gareth ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the use of Private Finance Initiative in relation to capital investment for use of modernising police stations in North Wales. [170320]
§ Ms Blears[holding answer 4 May 2004]: The Government support the use of Private Finance to help deliver modern police facilities in England and Wales. One Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme has been approved for the divisional HQ at St. Asaph in North Wales and is under construction. A second scheme put forward by the North Wales Police is currently under consideration.
All Welsh PFI schemes also need approval by the Welsh Assembly Government, which provides revenue grant on the annual service charges for approved schemes.
Gareth ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much each police force in England and Wales has spent through Private Finance Initiative(a) on refurbishment and replacement of police stations and (b) in total. [170322]
§ Ms Blears[holding answer 4 May 2004]: The cost incurred by each police force in England and Wales on refurbishment and replacement of police stations through the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) is not held centrally.
As a guide to the volume of PFI schemes, I list in the following table schemes for which grant support has been approved as at 1 April 2004:
£ million Police authority PFI credits1 Cleveland/Durham 11.000 Cumbria2 7.500 Derbyshire2 3.774 Derbyshire2 23.917 Dorset2 24.300 Dyfed-Powys2 5.300 Gloucestershire2 26.200 Kent2 23.600 Norfolk2 36.300 Northumbria 1.881 Nottinghamshire 21.460 Thames Valley2 10.406 Wiltshire 3.053 North Wales2 19.623 Cheshire2 45.000 Sussex 39.250 Greater Manchester2 63.000 Wiltshire 23.979 Total 389.543 1 PFI credits represent the capital element within the overall project. They form the basis of annual revenue grant support towards the unitary service charge payable by the police authority to the service operator. 2Denotes schemes that include police stations.