Justice and Home Affairs Committee, 04 Apr 2000

Meeting date: Tuesday, April 4, 2000

Official Report 206KB pdf

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Police Grant (Scotland) Order 2000

Item 2 on the agenda is the Police Grant (Scotland) Order 2000. Members will recall that we considered the order very briefly last week but deferred the substantive discussion to give members an opportunity to establish their concerns about the funding of the police. Members ought to be aware that there will be an opportunity to consider equivalent figures for the 2001-02 budget under agenda item 3.

The order is a negative instrument, so there is no motion before the committee. Members should indicate if they have something to say. Do not tell me that you have all had an entire week and have nothing to say.

Certainly not. We should take note of the fact that there is a considerable reduction in police numbers across the country. There are also questions about the levels of funding for the various police forces. The objective of this Parliament was to ensure increased police numbers across the land. There does not appear to be any provision for that in the budget figures. I therefore have great concerns about police funding.

I do not want to attempt to prevent this instrument from going through, because it is important to ensure that the police have next year's funding in place as early as possible. However, I give notice that it is the intention of the Conservative group in Parliament to raise the question of police funding at a later opportunity. We feel that the police are being underfunded.

I have a brief comment, which I know is not really within my patch. Kenny MacAskill has raised the issue of the impact of the Parliament on policing in Edinburgh. That issue will have to be addressed, if not in a debate, then at least by the Executive. There are special and onerous financial consequences for the police in Edinburgh now that the Parliament is located here, which should not fall solely on the heads of Edinburgh citizens.

That goes beyond what we are entitled to debate.

We have just spent 40 minutes going beyond what we are supposed to debate.

That is why I do not feel that I cannot comment on what Christine Grahame has just said. I could go on for ever making the case for Glasgow, our biggest city, which gets no special additional funding for policing football matches and so on. Glasgow police know the difficulties only too well. I want to ensure that that is on the record for any future discussion about policing.

Phil Gallie made a comment about police numbers. I see again that Strathclyde police crime figures are down.

Convener, that is another debate. I will not be tempted into responding to that point.

You started it, Phil.

Does anybody else want to say anything? If not, we will move on.