Business of the House Debate

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Department: Leader of the House

Business of the House

Lord Barwell Excerpts
Thursday 12th May 2011

(13 years, 7 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Young of Cookham Portrait Sir George Young
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I understand that this issue could be raised with the Home Secretary at the next Home Office questions. In the meantime, I will see whether she can write to the hon. Gentleman to address the issue that he has just raised.

Lord Barwell Portrait Gavin Barwell (Croydon Central) (Con)
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On Monday, the Home Secretary set out proposals to cut police bureaucracy that would save up to 2.5 million hours of police time, the equivalent of 1,200 officers. May we have a debate on those proposals, to discuss what else the Government could do to ensure that, despite the difficult decisions on public spending, our constituents do not see a decline in visible policing?

Lord Young of Cookham Portrait Sir George Young
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I am grateful to my hon. Friend for reminding the House of the speech that my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary gave on Monday about the steps we are taking to decrease bureaucracy in the police force. I understand that the measures will release the equivalent of some 1,200 police officers, and she indicated that more was to come. She also made it clear that

“the days of the bureaucrats controlling and managing the police from Whitehall are over”,

and I am sure that my hon. Friend will welcome that.