§ Mr. Richard Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing details of any cuts sanctioned by his Department in each fire service authority in England over the past six months in terms of (a) equipment and (b) establishment numbers; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WhitelawUnder section 19 of the Fire Services Act 1947, as amended by section 7 of the Fire Services Act 1959, my approval is required before a fire authority may vary the establishment scheme for its area by closing a fire station, or by reducing the number of whole-time members of any rank of the fire brigade—other than members whose duties do not normally include firefighting—or of part-time members of the brigade, or of pumping appliances or other appliances kept ready to attend fires. The table below shows the reductions in England to which my approval has been given since 24 September 1979. Fire authorities may make increases in their establishment schemes without my approval, and some of the authorities listed have made increases in the other categories shown in the table as well as the reductions listed. The table does not, therefore, show all the changes in establishment numbers which have been made by these authorities.
It is my policy to encourage fire authorities to make expenditure savings where this can be done without endangering the safety of the public, but I am not prepared to approve reductions the effect of which would be to reduce fire cover provision below the minimum standards recommended by the Home Office.
Following is the table:
147W
148W
REDUCTIONS IN ESTABLISHMENT SCHEMES APPROVED SINCE 24 SEPTEMBER 1979 Fire authority Divisional Officer Grade I Divisional Officer Grade II Divisional Officer Grade III Assistant Divisional Officer Station Officer Sub-Officer Leading Fireman Fireman Part-time members Pumping Appliances Other Appliances Avon — — — — 1 1 2 10 68 5 2 Bedfordshire — 1 — — — — — — — — — Berkshire — — — — — 2 — 4 — — — Cambridgeshire — — — 1 — — — 2 — — — Dorset — — — 3 1 2 1 18 — 1 — Essex — — — — — — — — — — 13 Hereford and Worcester — — — — — — — — — — 1 Humberside — — — — — 6 6 15 — 1 — Lancashire 1 — 1 1 8 7 — — — 3 3 Greater Manchester — — 2 — 3 — 57 — — — — Merseyside — — — — — — — — 40 2 — Oxfordshire — 1 — 1 3 1 — 4 6 — — Suffolk — — — — — — 2 — — — — West Yorkshire — — — — — — — 160 127 15 5