§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the decision by the Chief Fire Officer for Northern Ireland, to issue a directive on(a) the flying of the Union flag outside fire stations and (b) the removal of portraits of Her Majesty the Queen from inside stations. [160500]
§ Angela SmithThe information requested is as follows.
- (a) The Chief Fire Officer issued a circular on 18 December 2003 which outlined the dates on which the Union Flag would be flown at Fire Brigade Headquarters. The circular indicated that the Union Flag is to be flown on the same dates as at Government buildings, and at Brigade Headquarters only.
- (b) The circular also stated that the Authority had revised its arrangements for the display of the portrait of Her Majesty the Queen, and had decided that no portraits should be on display in any Brigade premises other than its Headquarters.
Responsibility for these matters belongs to the Authority and to the Chief Fire Officer. The circular is in line with best practice and guidance for the public sector and with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.