HC Deb 26 May 2004 vol 421 cc1658-61W
Mr. Benton

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage change there has been in the number of full-time police officers in Bootle since 1997. [175488]

Ms Blears

Bootle is part of the Sefton Basic Command Unit (BCU). Information on strength at BCU level is collected annually and reflects the position at the end of March. Information on BCU strength is only available from 2002.

Between March 2002 and March 2003 police strength for the Sefton BCU increased by 0.5 per cent. (from 431 to 433). The deployment of officers to BCUs is a matter for the Chief Constable (Norman Bettison QPM) and within the Sefton BCU deployment of officers is a matter for the Divisional Commander.

Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage change in full-time police officers in Manchester, Central has been since 1997. [174276]

Ms Blears

[holding answer 20 May 2004]: Information on strength at Basic Command Unit (BCU) level is collected annually and reflects the position at the end of March. Information on BCU strength is only available from 2002.

Manchester, Central constituency is part of the North Manchester (A) Division. Between March 2002 and March 2003 police strength for the Manchester Division increased by 2 per cent. (from 725 to 740). The deployment of officers to BCUs is a matter for the Chief Constable (Michael Todd) and within the North Manchester Division deployment of officers is a matter for the Divisional Commander.

Mr. Paul Marsden

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what date he expects police radios to work while on the London Underground. [175058]

Ms Blears

The British Transport Police, who are responsible for policing the London Underground, already have radios that work in that environment. Contractual discussions are underway on the extension of Airwave, the new police radio system, to the London Underground. The estimated completion date is 2007.

Mrs. Humble

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage change in full-time police officers in Blackpool, North and Fleetwood has been since 1997. [175881]

Ms Blears

Information on strength at Basic Command Unit (BCD) level is collected annually and reflects the position at the end of March. Information on BCD strength is only available from 2002.

Blackpool, North and Fleetwood constituency is part of the Western (A) Division. Between March 2002 and March 2003 police strength for the Western Division decreased 1.4 by per cent. (from 501 to 494). The deployment of officers to BCUs is a matter for the Chief Constable (Paul Stephenson QPM) and within the Western Division deployment of officers is a matter for the Divisional Commander.

Ms Stuart

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of suspension of police officers was in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the average cost of suspensions. [175472]

Ms Blears

Suspension of a senior police officer is a matter for his or her police authority and suspension of other ranks is a matter for the Chief Constable. Information on lengths of suspension of police officers is not held centrally. I have made no estimate of the average cost of suspensions as to do so would require making a request for information from individual forces and therefore would involve a disproportionate cost.

Mr. Paice

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has made to Customs and Excise regarding the VAT status of Centrex. [168437]

Ms Blears

No representation has been made to Her Majesty's Customs and Excise on behalf of Centrex in respect of their VAT by the Home Office arrangements. This is an internal matter, which has been satisfactorily resolved in discussion between Centrex and Customs and Excise.

Mr. Paice

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much in grant was paid to National Police Training and the Central Police Training and Development Authority in each year from 1997–98 to 2004–05. [168443]

Ms Blears

Centrex has only been in receipt of grant-in-aid from the Home Office since 2002–03, when it became an executive non-departmental public body. Before that time, as National Police Training, it was a unit of the Home Office.

The grant-in-aid paid to Centrex (millions) is as follows:

£million
Capital Resource
2002–03 78.6 14.9
2003–04 87.3 18.7
2004–05 74.8 18.7

Small additional payments were made to fund additional work programmes.

Mr. Paice

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what throughput of police recruits he expects at Stage 2 training during 2004–05; and what throughputs were achieved in each of the last three years. [168444]

Ms Blears

Total bids for Stage 2 places at Centrex for the year 2004–05 stands at 7,184, of which 242 are from non-Home Office forces. This figure excludes the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) whose probationers are trained in force and those forces currently running trials of the modernised delivery of Stage 2.

During the year 2003–04 Centrex target to have delivered 8,701 Stage 2 places, of which 200 were taken by non-Home Office forces. Again this excludes the MPS and forces which ran Stage 2 trials.

During the year 2002–03 a total of 7,977 Stage 2 places were delivered by Centrex, of which 148 were taken up by non-Home Office forces. This figure excludes the MPS.

During the year 2001–02 a total of 7,578 Stage 2 places were delivered by Centrex, of which 149 were taken up by non-Home Office forces. Again this figure does not include the MPS.