§ The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Paul Murphy)The Report on Stage Two of the Quinquennial Review of the Fire Authority for Northern Ireland has been completed and made available in the House of Commons Library and on the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety's web site.
The conclusion of the Stage One Report, published on 3 February, was that the Fire Authority for Northern Ireland should remain in being as an NDPB.
Stage Two examined how the Authority operated and related to the Fire Brigade and its sponsoring Department. The consultants invited views from a range of respondents, including Authority members and personnel, the fire fighters' unions, and representatives of local government in Northern Ireland. Their report makes recommendations to improve the Authority's effectiveness and efficiency.
39WSThe Report's overall conclusion is that the Fire Authority has already begun to address effectively the problems identified in the Stage One Report. In particular, relations between Authority members and senior officers have improved significantly since last year.
The Report recommends:
- A more strategic role for the Authority Board.
- A more compact Board.
- A new senior management structure, with greater emphasis on the personnel and financial management functions.
The Stage 2 Report comes at a good time, when a major programme of change is under way across the UK in how our fire and rescue services are organised and delivered. The recommendations in the Report will help the Fire Authority for Northern Ireland to build on the positive start that it has already made, and to address the challenges of change with confidence and enthusiasm.
The proposed changes in the composition of the Authority would require legislation. I intend to include them in a paper for public consultation, which I plan to publish later this year. That paper will also outline the Government's vision for the future development of the Fire and Rescue Service in Northern Ireland in light of the broad policy approach outlined by the Deputy Prime Minister in his Statement to the House of 30 June, tailored to Northern Ireland's particular needs and circumstances.