§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will compare the number of full-time and part-time people engaged in the fire service in England and Wales (a) in 1960 and (b) at the last date for which figures are available.
§ Mr. BrittanThe full-time and part-time strengths—including control room staff—of fire brigades in England and Wales on 31 December 1959 and 31 December 1979, as notified to the Home Office, were as follows:
Full time 31 December 1959 21,056 31 December 1979 35,916 Part-time (excluding whole-time members with retained obligations) 31 December 1959 13,730 31 December 1979 14,612
§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will compare the current expenditure on the fire service in England and Wales with that in 1960 in current and constant prices.
§ Mr. BrittanLocal authority net expenditure on the fire service in England and Wales, together with net expenditure on central training, was £358 million in the financial year 1979–80. In the financial year 1959–60 it was £25.5 million, which is approximately equivalent to £160 million at 1979–80 prices.