§ 12. Mr. Clifton-BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the annual running and maintenance costs for his Department's Fire Service and Central Training Establishment at RAF Manston. [6351]
§ Mr. SoamesThe costs of the Ministry of Defence Fire Service and Central Training Establishment cannot be easily separated from the overall cost of running RAF Manston. The current review of MOD fire service training should, however, identify these costs in due course.
§ Mr. Clifton-BrownI thank my hon. Friend for informing the House that there will be a review the costs 13 of fire training provision by the MOD. May I urge him to make that a wide-ranging review to include all Home Office facilities and the National Fire College at Moreton-in-Marsh so that we can ensure that MOD fire service training provision is truly cost-effective?
§ Mr. SoamesI am grateful to my hon. Friend for drawing this matter to my attention and for the correspondence that he has had with my noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State about the excellent fire service college at Moreton-in-Marsh. As he knows, the review is considering all options for professional fire training, including the Civil Airports Authority's fire school, local authority fire brigades and the fire service school in his constituency. I assure my hon. Friend that any proposal will be carefully considered, and I shall be happy to see my hon. Friend if he wishes to lobby on its behalf.