Written question asked by Tim Loughton (Conservative) on Thursday, 3 March 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 7 April 2005. It was answered by Caroline Flint (Labour) on Thursday, 7 April 2005 on behalf of the Home Office.

Home Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the total cost of the roll out of the Tetra police communications network; and what estimate he has made of the cost to each person liable for payment of the Sussex Police Authority precept, broken down by costs payable through (a) the precept and (b) general taxation.

Answer: Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the total cost of the roll out of the Tetra police communications network; and what estimate he has made of the cost to each person liable for payment of the Sussex Police Authority precept, broken down by costs payable through (a) the precept and (b) general taxation. [220784] Caroline Flint: The Airwave radiocommunications system network is being centrally funded by the Home Office under a PFI contract which will cost £2.3 billion at 1999 prices over the 22 years of the contract. The costs of providing handsets and control centres are met by individual police forces. We do not have a breakdown of the costs to Sussex Police. Precepts are a matter for local police authorities. For 2004-05 the Sussex Police Authority budget was met 29 per cent. from precept and 71 per cent. from grants.

Secondary information