Schedule 1 - National Policing improvement Agency
Police and Justice Bill
9:45 am
Hazel Blears (Minister of State (Policing, Security and Community Safety), Home Office; Salford, Labour)
On amendment No. 63, I assure the hon. Gentleman that we intend to have a non-executive majority on the board of the NPIA. That is important, as it will bring a wider perspective to its work and will provide for the input of different views and for effective oversight and rigorous governance. I want to ensure that those factors are properly embedded in the provisions for the new agency, so that executives are subject to proper scrutiny. I want to ensure that we are delivering.
The hon. Gentleman says that the introduction of the agency may not be exciting for our constituents. Most of our constituents are extremely concerned to ensure that policing is efficient and effective, and that the police are reducing crime and making our communities safer, ensuring that we get the very best value from our massive investment in the last few years. The agency will help us to do that. I think that the introduction of the agency is exciting, therefore, although I apologise if my use of police acronyms reduces the excitement. If the hon. Gentleman would like me to, I can spell them all out, but the Committee would need in excess of eight sittings if I did so, and we could be sitting until midnight. None the less, I have, I think, a reputation for fairly plain speaking, and I shall do my best to continue that.
I give the hon. Gentleman the assurance that he sought. The Bill provides that the chief executive should be a member of the board.