Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government why 2020 was the year used as the basis for data to support the decision to abolish Police and Crime Commissioners and whether more up-to-date information is now available.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The cost of local police governance, according to data published by Office of Police and Crime Commissioners across England and Wales, was approximately £93m in 2023/24. We are working with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners to obtain more up to date information about the costs of police governance, to inform ongoing work on the design and implementation of alternative governance arrangements.
We expect to be able save at least £20m per annum from 2028/29 as a result of aligning back office and support arrangements for policing governance with wider local government functions. We will be undertaking work to identify further savings as part of our work on future governance arrangements.
Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what evidence there is that the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners has had an adverse impact on the (1) number, and (2) quality, of candidates for the post of chief constable and whether they will publish this evidence.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Following the announcement by the Policing Minister on 13 November that the government will abolish Police and Crime Commissioners, we are working with local government and policing to design new arrangements for the oversight of policing, including relationships between Chief Constables.
Further detail will be set out in the forthcoming Police Reform White Paper.
The Home Office does not collect data on Chief Constable tenure.
Despite the efforts of many individual PCCs, the model of a direct 1:1 relationship between elected Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables has not always facilitated effective management of police forces.
Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what evidence is available for their estimate that the abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners would save £20m a year.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The cost of local police governance, according to data published by Office of Police and Crime Commissioners across England and Wales, was approximately £93m in 2023/24. We are working with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners to obtain more up to date information about the costs of police governance, to inform ongoing work on the design and implementation of alternative governance arrangements.
We expect to be able save at least £20m per annum from 2028/29 as a result of aligning back office and support arrangements for policing governance with wider local government functions. We will be undertaking work to identify further savings as part of our work on future governance arrangements.
Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have prepared an impact assessment of the decision to abolish Police and Crime Commissioners; and if so, whether they will place a copy in the Library of the House.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The announcement of the Government’s intention to abolish the Police and Crime Commissioner model is the first of a series of reforms that will be set out in the forthcoming Police Reform White Paper, to drive quality, consistency and efficiency in policing and ensure it is set up to deliver for the public.
We will bring forward legislation to give effect to the reforms in the White Paper, including legislating for alternative police governance arrangements, when parliamentary time allows. An impact assessment will be published alongside this legislation.
Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on victims of crime of the abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
We recognise the important work PCCs do to commission vital support services for victims and witnesses of crime. We are working closely with the Ministry of Justice to establish how PCCs’ existing victims’ responsibilities will operate within the new police governance system. Ensuring continuity of support for victims in the future arrangements will be a key priority.
We are establishing transition working groups to consider the design and implementation of the future governance arrangements. One of these will specifically focus on partnerships and commissioning, including victims’ responsibilities.
Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what evidence there is that the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners weakened local police accountability; and whether they will publish any such evidence.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) were established in 2012 with the promise of making the police more accountable and connected to the communities they serve. But data shows that awareness of PCCs has remained low, with only a quarter of electors turning out at last year’s elections.
Furthermore, as recognised in a House Of Commons research briefing on Police and Crime Commissioners published in October 2024, despite the efforts of many individual PCCs the model of a direct 1:1 relationship between elected Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables has not always facilitated effective management of police forces; and the model has siloed policing under a separate directly elected individual, creating structural, and in some cases political barriers, to collaboration across local services.
We will work with policing and local government stakeholders to ensure that future governance arrangements maintain strong oversight of policing, whilst maximising the join-up of local services.
Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to conclude the due diligence exercise and compliance assessment initiated by Home Office officials to determine the appropriate sporting body to govern the endorsement processes for basketball in England, Scotland and Wales under the International Sportsperson visa route.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The due diligence exercise and compliance assessment to establish compliance under the International Sportsperson visa route are ongoing. Assessments and lines of enquiry may be revisited throughout. We are working closely with the bodies relevant to basketball, including the Department for Culture, Media and Sports, to ensure we have a full evidential basis prior to reaching a conclusion. All bodies included in the exercise will be notified when the exercises are completed.
Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 6 November (HL1962), how much of the financial benefits delivered by BlueLight Commercial since its foundation are attributable to procurement of (1) goods such as police uniforms and equipment and (2) services such as consultancy and professional advice.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Further to the answer I gave on 6 November (HL1962), of the £287 million of estimated financial benefits BlueLight Commercial have worked to deliver within policing in England and Wales since 2020/21, an estimated £168 million are attributable to goods and £93m are attributable to services.
Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 1 November (HL1776), which is the force currently being onboarded to the Single Online Home system, and which are the two remaining forces not using the system.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
At 14 November 2024, Lancashire Constabulary is currently being onboarded to the Single Online Home platform. Avon and Somerset Police and West Yorkshire Police are not currently using the platform. Future onboarding plans are under consideration.
Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much has been spent on setting up and maintaining BlueLight Commercial since its foundation.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Between 2020/21 and 2024/25 BlueLight Commercial has been funded by the Home Office to provide commercial expertise and assistance to policing to identify and make efficiency savings. The Home Office has provided up to £26.4m in funding to Bluelight Commercial during that time.