HC Deb 01 December 1977 vol 940 cc313-6W
Mr. Churchill

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what percentage the pay of a fireman with five years' service exceeds that of a private soldier with equivalent seniority who is currently assigned to fire fighting duties in support of the civil power.

Mr. Merlyn Rees

The weekly rate of pay of a qualified fireman with five year's service outside London is £65.65. As to the comparison with the pay of a private soldier, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence to a Question by the hon. Member on 25th November.—[Vol. 939, c. 933.]

Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he will give for the longest and most convenient period of time the number of committees of inquiry which have been held into the wages and conditions of employment of firemen; what recommendations were made; and to what extent these have been implemented;

(2) to what extent the firemen's present wages, hours and working conditions would have been changed if every recommendation made by each of the committees of inquiry into the firemen's conditions of employment over the past 10 years had been fully implemented.

Mr. Merlyn Rees

The following inquiries have made recommendations relating to fire service pay and conditions of service since 1966Report No. 32 of the National Board for Prices and Incomes—dated May 1967; The Report of the Departmental Committee on the Fire Service (Cmnd. 4371)—dated May 1970; The Report of the Cunningham Inquiry into the Work of the Fire Service (Cmnd. 4807)—dated November 1971; The Home Department's Report on the Inquiry into the Feasibility of a 40-hour Week in the Fire Service—dated September 1977; and The Report of the Inquiry which was set up by the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Fire Brigades under the Chairmanship of Lord McCarthy to examine the fireman's job in relation to other occupations and to their remuneration—dated September 1977.

Pay and conditions of service in the fire service are matters for the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Fire Brigades, and I regret that the other detailed information requested could not be extracted without disproportionate cost.

Mrs. Castle

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of firemen employed in England are qualified firemen.

Mr. Merlyn Rees

I regret that the information requested is not available. I understand, however, from a survey carried out by the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Fire Brigades in September 1976 that at that time about 47 per cent. of members of brigades in the rank of fireman in England were qualified firemen.

Mr. John Moore

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of full-time and part-time firemen employed by the Fire Service for the past 15 years.

Mr. Merlyn Rees

The full-time and part-time strengths—including control room staff—of fire brigades in England and Wales for the past 15 years were as follows:

Full-time Part-time (excluding whole-time men with retained obligations)
1962 23,269 13,482
1963 24,093 15,063
1964 24,367 15,153
1965 24,855 14,943
1966 25,029 14,986
1967 24,916 14,875
1968 24,892 14,804
1969 24,616 14,479
1970 24,812 14,347
1971 25,373 14,502
1972 26,177 14,463
1973 26,292 14,233
1974 31,117 14,011
1975 32,550 1,4704
1976 32,592 15,065

Mr. John Moore

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimate of the number of full-time firemen who have other part-time employment.

Mr. Merlyn Rees

I regret that the information requested is not available.

Mr. John Moore

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the terms of employment for full-time firemen permit them to undertake other part-time work.

Mr. Merlyn Rees

This matter is governed by the Scheme of Conditions of Service of the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Fire Brigades. Firemen may undertake other part-time work, but only with the permission of the fire authority concerned.

Mr. John Moore

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the mortality rate and injury rate in the Fire Service, per 1,000 per year, compare with the rates for all other industries and other occupations; and if he will give details of those industries and occupations in which the rates are higher than in the Fire Service.

Mr. Merlyn Rees

I regret that the detailed information requested is not available. From reports received from brigades, however, in England and Wales, in the years 1974, 1975 and 1976, the numbers of firemen who lost their lives in the course of duty were 10, seven and five respectively. The number of injuries is not known.

Mrs. Wise

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional payments have been made to firemen in recognition of the extra tasks undertaken and extra skills required to carry out their duties under the Fire Precautions Act 1971.

Mr. Merlyn Rees

The 1973 fire service pay agreement, effective from 7th November 1973, recognised in both salary and status the new tasks to be undertaken by firemen in acquiring and maintaining the skills necessary to carry out their fire prevention duties.

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