§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the shortfall is in the number of Fire Service personnel in the UK; and what plans he has to encourage more people into the service. [12960]
§ Dr. WhiteheadBased on provisional figures taken from annual returns to HM Fire Service Inspectorate, the difference between establishment and actual strength of the fire service in England and Wales, as 31 March, was 3,582.
To help encourage people from all backgrounds to join the fire service, officials from my Department have been working in collaboration with stakeholders from all parts of the fire service to produce effective and informative national recruitment literature. This literature will be produced centrally for use by fire authorities in their recruitment activities. The production of this literature 833W forms part of a strategic approach to recruitment across the fire service which aims to raise awareness among under-represented groups of the fire service as a career choice.
We will be launching the first of the recruitment publications shortly.