Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Act 1997

45 Police grant

(1) For section 32 of the [1967 c. 77.] Police (Scotland) Act 1967 there shall be substituted the following section—

“32 Police grant

(1) Subject to the following provisions of this section, the Secretary of State shall for the financial year 1997-98 and for each subsequent financial year make grants out of money provided by Parliament for police purposes to police authorities and joint police boards.

(2) Where a grant is made under subsection (1) above to a joint police board, no grant under that subsection shall be payable to a constituent authority.

(3) For each financial year the Secretary of State shall with the approval of the Treasury by order determine—

(a) the aggregate amount of grants to be made under subsection (1) above; and

(b) the amount of the grant to be made to each police authority or joint police board,

and any determination under this subsection for any financial year may be varied or revoked by a subsequent such determination for that year.

(4) In making a determination under subsection (3)(b) above, the Secretary of State may exclude certain categories of expenditure for police purposes from a grant made under subsection (1) above.

(5) A grant made to a police authority or to a joint police board by virtue of an order made under subsection (3) above may be subject to such conditions and shall be paid at such times and in such manner as the Secretary of State may with the approval of the Treasury by order determine; and any such time may fall within or after the financial year concerned.

(6) The Secretary of State shall prepare a report stating the considerations which he took into account in making the determinations mentioned in subsection (3) above.

(7) The considerations which the Secretary of State takes into account in making a determination under subsection (3)(b) above may be different for different authorities or different joint police boards.

(8) A statutory instrument containing an order made under subsection (3) above shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.

(9) A copy of a report prepared under subsection (6) above shall be laid before each House of Parliament at the time at which the statutory instrument containing the order made under subsection (3) above to which it relates is so laid.

(10) Where in consequence of the variation or revocation of an order made under subsection (3) above the amount of a police authority’s or a joint police board’s grant is less than the amount already paid to it for the year concerned, a sum equal to the difference shall be paid by the authority or, as the case may be, board to the Secretary of State on such day as he may specify.

(11) In this section “financial year” has the meaning assigned to it by section 116 of the [1992 c. 14.] Local Government Finance Act 1992.”.

(2) A determination made under section 32(3) (police grant) of the [1967 c. 77.] Police (Scotland) Act 1967 (as inserted into that Act by subsection (1) above) for the financial year 1997-98 may, notwithstanding that this section comes into force after the beginning of that financial year, relate to the whole of that year; and the first such determination shall take effect in place of any determination made for that year under section 32(1) of that Act as it had effect prior to the coming into force of this section.