Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what role his Department has in the (a) approval, (b) payment of and (c) cost recovery when mutual aid is supplied to the PSNI from other UK Police Forces.

The provision of Mutual Aid between constabularies in the UK is coordinated by the National Police Coordination Centre (NPoCC) which is a body of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC). There is no role for the Secretary of State.

The host force is strictly liable for all costs associated with the receipt of aid.

The PSNI’s main budget is allocated by the Northern Ireland Department of Justice (DoJ). The UK Government is providing the PSNI with £37.8m in additional security funding each financial year until 2028/29.