All that the Secretary of State has done to improve police funding is to ameliorate a Crisis of His Own Making.

In the current financial year - in November 1996 - to avert the Crisis of His Own Making, the Secretary of State had to inject an emergency package of £25 million into the agency.

The Home Secretary is once again faced with a Crisis of His Own Making - something with which he is all too familiar.

Therefore, does he also accept that any measure he may announce next week to help with the costs of child care will be small remedy for a Crisis of His Own Making?