(Cardiff Central)
(Lab): What assessment he has made of the effect of
changes to policing budgets since 2015 on Welsh police
forces.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales
(Stuart Andrew): The Government understand that police
demand is changing and becoming increasingly complex. That is
why, after speaking to all forces in England and Wales, we have
provided a comprehensive funding settlement which will increase
total investment in the police system by over £460 million in
2018-19.
: Cardiff hosts more
than 400 major events a year—civic, political and royal—as a UK
capital city, and on top of the Government’s police funding cuts,
my constituents are having to find money to pay an extra £3
million for the annual cost of policing those events, which is
the equivalent of 60 police officers. When are the Government
going to recognise South Wales Police as a capital city force,
with proper funding to match?
: As I said earlier,
we have consulted all the Police and Crime Commissioners and
chief constables, as they are ultimately best placed to
understand their local needs. Following the police funding
settlement, most PCCs have set out plans either to protect or to
increase frontline policing this year. I acknowledge the hon.
Lady’s point on Cardiff; that is part of a national formula, but
I will be happy to meet her if she wants to discuss it further.
(Carlisle) (Con):
Does the Minister agree that policing is not just about budgets
and money, although they do matter, but about leadership,
strategy and organisation?
: My hon. Friend is
absolutely right. I saw an interesting statistic recently: if we
increase productivity through the better use of digital
technology, we could save each police officer an hour a day, when
they could be on the frontline. That would be the equivalent of
11,000 extra police officers a year on the streets of the
country.
(Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
(PC): I, too, extend my condolences to the family of
Tecwyn Thomas. He was well known, and was ready to work with
other parties, including mine, to the benefit of his area.
Police forces in Wales pay £2 million a year towards the
Government apprenticeship levy, yet get virtually no financial
support towards training. Skills and education are devolved
competences, but this levy was imposed by Westminster—cue
entirely predictable confusion and buck-passing. Where was the
consent decision to impose a 0.5% tax on major Welsh employers?
: In the
conversations I have had with many businesses around north Wales,
they have welcomed the apprenticeship levy—
: Not the CBI.
: Well, I have been
round a number of businesses, and they welcome the levy. The fact
is that training in Wales is devolved, as the hon. Lady has said,
and the amount of money that the UK Government have given to the
Welsh Government exceeds the amount that the Welsh Government are
spending on training.
: I am sure
the Minister shares my concern that the word “Orwellian” is
overused in contemporary politics, but does he also share my
concern that the Orwellian concept of doublespeak is epitomised
in what now constitutes devolved consent agreement—namely,
consent as agreeing to consent, consent as disagreeing to consent
and consent as refusing to consent? How can Wales possibly say
no?
: There have been
extensive discussions with the Welsh Government, and they have
recognised that the UK Government have come a long way and that
the levy is beneficial to the whole of the United Kingdom. I hope
that other Governments will follow suit.
Several hon. Members rose—
Mr Speaker: Order. If the hon. Member for
Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (Jonathan Edwards) wants to come in
briefly on this question, he can, but he is not obliged to do so.
(Carmarthen East and
Dinefwr) (PC): A recent report by Her Majesty’s
inspectorate of constabulary on the National Police Air Service
concluded that the service was financially unsustainable and that
flying hours had halved despite the cost of flight hours
doubling. Is it not the reality that the centralisation of police
air support on an England and Wales basis has been an unmitigated
failure, and that the decision of the British Government to steal
our dedicated police helicopter in Dyfed-Powys has led to a
second-rate service for my constituents?
: As the hon.
Gentleman will know, the responsibility for overseeing NPAS lies
with its strategic board, which is made up of Police and Crime
Commissioners and chief constables, including the Dyfed-Powys
PCC. Both NPAS and the National Police Chiefs Council have
already announced that they are undertaking work to address the
issues that he has raised, and has said that many of
the areas identified in the report have already been recognised
and they are doing work to address them.
