Terrorism: Crime Prevention

Patrick Mercer
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 24 February 2009, Official Report, column 695W, on terrorism, (1) what proportion of the £2.5 billion counter-terrorism and intelligence budget is accounted for by the counter-terrorism strategy;

(2) what estimate she has made of the counter-terrorism and intelligence budget in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11, broken down by the proportion to be spent on the counter-terrorism strategy in each year.

Mr. Coaker
The single security and intelligence budget, which includes Government spending on counter-terrorism and intelligence, was announced as part of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review. It is forecast to rise from £2.5 billion in 2008-09 to £3.5 billion in 2010-11. This budget is wider than just expenditure on the Government's counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST. Breaking down this budget by specific counter-terrorism and intelligence activities, beyond what is published already, would reveal our capabilities and details of the security and intelligence agencies spending. It has been the policy of successive governments not to reveal these details.