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Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill

My Lords, as my noble friend Lady Henig said, I was able to have a very helpful meeting with her following the debate on this clause in Committee. I thought that it was positive and helped to highlight the points which will need to be addressed as part of the inspection protocol or framework which will underpin the new inspection arrangements for police authorities. A joint approach to police authority inspections will bring together Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary’s professional knowledge and understanding of operational policing and the Audit Commission’s wider cross-sector understanding of local government, local partnerships and the role of police authorities as distinct from that of chief constables and forces. This mix of knowledge is crucial in assessing the effectiveness of policing and community safety delivery by a range of local services. I fully support my noble friend’s view that we need to articulate the overall vision for the joint inspection of police authority functions as clearly as possible so that the intention of the legislative provisions on which this approach will rely is understood. This will be set out in the inspection protocol and methodology that I have referred to before and which will be developed and agreed jointly by the Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Audit Commission with the Association of Police Authorities and the support of the Home Office. The inspectorate’s powers relate to police forces and authorities, while those of the Audit Commission apply more widely to all best value authorities. It is therefore inevitable that these powers are in two separate legislative regimes. Seeking to combine them as proposed is neither desirable nor necessary. I would expect the inspection protocol to set out the statutory basis for the inspection of police authorities so they will be able to look to this one document for the necessary clarity. The inspectorate and the commission have agreed that inspections will be conducted on a joint and fully co-ordinated basis. They will effectively act as one to produce a holistic assessment of police authority performance which is proportionate and does not duplicate other work. They recognise the importance of including a police authority peer officer or member to ensure the right skills mix and that the existing self-assessment framework will play a part in the process. As the gatekeeper for police inspections, the inspectorate will have the ability to prevent any inappropriate inspection activity. I cannot prejudge the content of a joint protocol or framework which the inspectorate and the commission will be developing with the help of the Association of Police Authorities. I expect it to be based on the responsibilities and standards expected of police authorities in holding the police service to account and delivering outcomes for local people, and to define the high level aims and focus of a joint inspection regime. As I have already indicated, I would also expect the protocol to set out the legislative landscape and describe the roles and responsibilities of those involved, including police authorities. It would support the process for consulting on the priorities for an annual inspection programme and broad timescales and objectives for this work. The noble Baroness, Lady Harris of Richmond, mentioned the funding aspects and absolutely correctly highlighted an issue. Perhaps I may come back to her separately on that as it has not been finalised. I know that my noble friend Lady Henig will want to work with us to make this as comprehensive and effective as possible. I ask her to withdraw her amendment.