§ Mr. MealeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the capacity of fire authorities in Nottinghamshire to cope with fire, emergency and other demands in 1993–94.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe standard of service provided by the Nottinghamshire fire and rescue service was last examined in the course of an inspection of the service by Her Majesty's inspectorate of fire services between 19 and 23 October 1992. I expect the report of that inspection to be published shortly. It is for Nottinghamshire county council, in the light of its standard spending assessment, to set a budget for 1993–94 which will allow it to comply with its duties under the Fire Services Act 1947 as a fire authority, and with the nationally recommended minimum standards of fire cover.