Nick Hurd corrected a written answer on Police: Pensions

4 January 2019 · Commons written answer · Home Office

Louise Haigh (Labour, Sheffield, Heeley) asked written question 202836 on 17 December 2018. Mr Nick Hurd answered on 21 December 2018 for the Home Office, and Mr Nick Hurd corrected the answer on 4 January 2019. The correction replaced 1 figure (100,000) with 5 figures (£11m, £165m, £27m, £302m, £970m). Altogether 313 words differ between the two versions.

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral statement of 13 December 2018 on Police Funding Settlement, Official Report, column 431, for what reason the resource provided to cover unexpected increases in the contribution to public sector pensions will match the £165m identified by police chiefs as being the liability in 2019-20.

Original and corrected answer

Struck through: original only. Bold: correction only.

Original	Corrected
The ~~Home Office collects~~ and ~~publishes statistics on~~ the ~~number of~~ police ~~officers employed by each police force in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis. These figures present a picture~~ of the ~~workforce as at~~ the ~~31 March~~ and ~~as at 30 September each year. These data are published~~ in the ~~‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical publication, which can~~ be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales Data on the number of officers per 100,000 of the ~~resident population, by~~ police ~~force area, are published on an annual basis. The latest available data on~~ the number of police officers per 100,000 of the population can be found in Table_H4 of the data tables accompanying the main release, the latest of which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2018 Data on the number of police officers are collected at Police Force Area level only, and cannot be broken at local authority level. The Home Office does not hold information on response times of the police.	In his Budget, the Chancellor committed to providing funding for the police in 2019/20 to cover additional pensions costs beyond the £165m which was expected at Budget 2016. The pensions grant announced at the settlement covers the additional pension costs above £165m for the police officer scheme, and the additional pension costs above £11m for police staff. This reflects revised costings following technical changes to how the actuarial estimate of the increase in costs for officers is assessed. Total expected cost pressures arising from the valuations are now £302m for the police officer scheme and £27m for police staff. The Government is enabling an overall increase in funding of up to £970m in police funding including precept and national priorities. This pensions funding, taken together with the additional grant funding and local precept, provides sufficient means for the police to meet cost increases, while continuing to recruit and invest in the capabilities they need. Cost pressures, including pensions, beyond 2019/20 will be considered as part of the next Spending Review where decisions on longer term police funding will be made in the round.

Original

Corrected

The ~~Home Office collects~~ and ~~publishes statistics on~~ the ~~number of~~ police ~~officers employed by each police force in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis. These figures present a picture~~ of the ~~workforce as at~~ the ~~31 March~~ and ~~as at 30 September each year. These data are published~~ in the ~~‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical publication, which can~~ be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales
Data on the number of officers per 100,000 of the ~~resident population, by~~ police ~~force area, are published on an annual basis. The latest available data on~~ the number of police officers per 100,000 of the population can be found in Table_H4 of the data tables accompanying the main release, the latest of which can be accessed here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2018
Data on the number of police officers are collected at Police Force Area level only, and cannot be broken at local authority level.
The Home Office does not hold information on response times of the police.

In his Budget, the Chancellor committed to providing funding for the police in 2019/20 to cover additional pensions costs beyond the £165m which was expected at Budget 2016.
The pensions grant announced at the settlement covers the additional pension costs above £165m for the police officer scheme, and the additional pension costs above £11m for police staff. This reflects revised costings following technical changes to how the actuarial estimate of the increase in costs for officers is assessed. Total expected cost pressures arising from the valuations are now £302m for the police officer scheme and £27m for police staff.
The Government is enabling an overall increase in funding of up to £970m in police funding including precept and national priorities. This pensions funding, taken together with the additional grant funding and local precept, provides sufficient means for the police to meet cost increases, while continuing to recruit and invest in the capabilities they need.
Cost pressures, including pensions, beyond 2019/20 will be considered as part of the next Spending Review where decisions on longer term police funding will be made in the round.

The question and answer on the Parliament website.

Related key figures

Police officer numbers (England and Wales)

Receipt

Read from	https://questions-statements-api.parliament.uk/api/writtenquestions/questions/1027305?expandMember=true
Date read	15 October 2026
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