Extracts from
Westminster Hall debate on Public Service Pensions:
Government Contributions
The Minister for Policing and the Fire Service (Mr Nick
Hurd):...A lot of concern was expressed on behalf of
both the services. I know the hon. Member for Merthyr Tydfil and
Rhymney is aware of the police funding settlement that I proposed
last week, although obviously it has not been passed by
Parliament. That recognised the additional pension costs to the
police. He mentioned a number of more than £400 million.
Actually, in 2019-20, the additional costs to the police system
would be approximately £330 million. He will be aware that the
overall police funding settlement enables up to £970 million of
additional investment in our police, although that depends very
much on what individual Police and Crime Commissioners do on the
precept.
The hon. Gentleman will also know that this funding settlement
sees the first increase in the Home Office grant since 2010. The
proposed funding for South Wales police, for example, which faces
the pressure of additional pension costs of £6.8 million next
year, is an additional £3.3 million in Government grant and £3.1
million in specific pension grant, while the police and crime
commissioner, , will have the flexibility to
increase the precept up to £12.7 million, making a total of £19.1
million. I hope he will welcome that...
...In relation to the police, I genuinely believe that the
combination of the specific pension grant, the increase in the
Home Office grant, the efficiency savings that we have agreed to
realise, the high level of reserves that still remain in the
system and a financial settlement that enables increased
investment of up to £970 million in 2019-20, if fully realised—it
does depend on the actions of Police and Crime Commissioners—will mean
that as a country we will invest over £2 billion more in 2019-20
than we did in 2015-16. While Labour MPs continue to make
comparisons to 2010, the reality is that since 2015, the
Government have recognised that the demand on the police system
has risen and become more complex, and we have responded with
additional public investment...
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Extract from Lords
debate on Sport, Recreation and the Arts
(Con):...Such
opportunities should be available across the country, through the
creation of a locally led national referral pathway to be used by
youth offending teams and other agencies to help reduce crime and
reoffending by directing young offenders into sport and physical
activity. I ask my noble friend the Minister to explore the
potential to integrate sport into the core crime reduction and
protection policies across Government. The aim would be to
develop an early pathway to connect the youth justice sector with
community sport to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour. A huge
leap in the right direction would be to get key agencies and
organisations such as the Home Office, the MoJ, the Youth Justice
Board, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, DCMS and Sport
England around a table. The potential benefits are clear to see,
for the young people and for wider society: fitter, healthier and
more focused teenagers, as well as safer communities with fewer
victims of crime...
To read the whole debate, CLICK
HERE
