§ Mr. Robert Atkinsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he proposes to issue guidance 507W to the fire service on the procedures to be followed under the Fire Services (Discipline) Regulations 1985 (S.I., 1985, No. 930).
§ Mr. BrittanI have today placed in the Library a copy of the guidance to be issued to chief fire officers. This guidance has been the subject of consultation with both fire authorities and representative bodies in the fire service, and I formally consulted both national joint councils over its terms when I consulted them over the draft regulations under section 17 of the Fire Services Act 1947. The guidance represents the agreed procedure for handling cases under the new regulations and I am confident that it will be welcomed by all concerned as an integral part of the new discipline provisions and as the means of best achieving natural justice in disciplinary matters consistent with the needs and traditions of the fire service.