§ Lady HermonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many(a) part-time and (b) full-time fire officers were serving in the Northern Ireland Fire Brigade in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement on Fire Service recruitment in Northern Ireland. [142674]
§ Angela SmithThe numbers of whole-time and retained fire fighters serving in the Northern Ireland Fire Brigade since 1997 are as follows:
Whole-time Retained 1997 918 975 1998 909 971 1999 881 960 2000 879 798 2001 894 799 2002 895 812 2003 887 788 The Northern Ireland Fire Brigade has just completed one of the most extensive retained recruitment campaigns in the UK fire service, having recruited 126 retained fire-fighters over 41 stations in recent months. A further retained recruitment campaign will be launched in January 2004.
The Brigade is currently short-listing candidates to fill whole-time vacancies.
§ Lady HermonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many attacks on firefighters there have been in each Fire Authority district in Northern Ireland in each of the past five years; what steps he is taking to reduce such attacks; and if he will make a statement. [142696]
§ Angela SmithThe information requested by the hon. Lady is set out in the following table. Information is available at this level of detail only from 2001.
The reported increase in 2002 is partly the result of improved recording procedures. Although the reduction this year is welcome, attacks on firefighters—and other staff in the emergency services—are criminal offences and utterly unacceptable. I have taken every opportunity to condemn them, and continue to do so in the strongest possible terms.
This year I have made available to the fire and ambulance services special additional funding, totalling £400,000, to help them to raise public awareness that such attacks endanger not only their crews but also those members of the public they are trying to help.
I am grateful to those elected representatives and community leaders who have been using their influence to reinforce this message, and I urge them to continue to do so.
576W
Reported attacks on firefighters by district, 2001–03 District 2001 2002 2003 (to 5 December) South and East Belfast 38 126 82 North and West Belfast 59 142 122 Ballymena 3 10 4 Coleraine 0 2 2 Glengormley 5 28 21
Reported attacks on firefighters by district, 2001–03 District 2001 2002 2003 (to 5 December) Lisburn 0 7 1 Portadown 4 16 24 Bangor 1 17 9 Newry 9 23 14 Downpatrick 1 5 5 Londonderry 10 20 21 Omagh 1 1 1 Cookstown 2 9 7 Enniskillen 0 4 2 Total 133 410 315