§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many firefighters there were per head of population in(a) Lancashire, (b) the North West of England and (c) Wales in each year since 1997. [112056]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe number of firefighters per 10,000 of population are tabled as follows:
Number of firefighters per head of population 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Lancashire Wholetime 7.0 7.0 7.1 7.1 7.1 7.1 Retained 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.0 1.9 North West Wholetime 8.2 8.2 8.1 8.0 8.0 8.0 Retained 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 Wales Wholetime 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 Retained 5.1 5.1 5.1 5.1 5.1 5.1 Notes:
1. Based on annual returns to HM Fire Service Inspectorate and population figures published by the Office for National Statistics.
2. Wholetime strength expressed in full-time equivalents and retained strength in 24-hour units of cover.
3. North West figures comprise fire brigade areas of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside.