To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to indicate whether he will meet Surrey Police's claim for costs incurred because of the proposal to amalgamate Surrey and Sussex police forces. (94999)

Surrey police's claim for £649,311 in additional costs spent on the preparations for their proposed merger with Sussex police, submitted at the Home Office's invitation, has been received and is being assessed along with those submitted by all the other police forces and police authorities in England and Wales. We expect to make an announcement very shortly on how much of the claims will be reimbursed.