To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the number of police man hours employed in ambulance duties per police authority, to date.

The readily available information is that up to 31 December police forces had provided approximately the number of man hours shown in the table in assisting the ambulance service in their areas.

Approximate number of man hours
	Hours
Bedfordshire	17,700
Derbyshire	6,900
Dorset	9,500
Hampshire	5,100
Hertfordshire	31,600
Lincolnshire	2,600
South Yorkshire	27,300
Staffordshire	1,750
Surrey	850
Warwickshire	460
West Mercia	6,100
West Midlands	35,500
West Yorkshire	20,700

I understand that in the Metropolitan police district about 460 officers are usually employed in each 24-hour period assisting the ambulance service.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost per police man hour of deploying the police on ambulance duties (a) outside London and (b) in London.

The charge that is made by the Metropolitan police to the regional health authority for police officers who assist the London ambulance service is £16·20 per hour of normal duty time worked. Information about the charges made outside London is not available centrally; the level of charge is determined by the relevant police authority.