To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 February 2007, Official Report, column 970W, on British Standard 7971, what the cost has been of analysing the standard against the police operational requirement (POR); and what the cost of producing the related PORs have been. (130336)

An estimation of the funds allocated over a three year period (2004 to 2007) for the development and publishing of the Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB) standards for public order protection is in the region of £200,000. A small part of this would have been used to assess the BS7971 suite of standards against the police operational requirement. The police operational requirements are produced and owned by the Association of Chief Police Officers with input from HOSDB. The cost of the input from HOSDB would be a small fraction of the £200,000 allocated to developing and publishing of HOSDB standards.