§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the cost of accidents within the fire service in the last available year; and if he will make a statement; [6818]
(2) what measures he is assessing to reduce the cost of accidents in the fire service; and if he will make a statement. [6817]
§ Mr. SackvilleInformation on the cost of accidents within the fire service is not collected centrally, although details on firefighter deaths and serious injuries are published in the annual reports of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Fire Services for England and Wales. Safeguarding the health and safety of firefighters is a key priority for the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council and its committees. Guidance has recently been issued on the application of risk assessment in the fire service, and consideration is being given to ways of improving accident reporting arrangements.
§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what occupational health schemes are in place in the fire service; and if he will make a statement. [6816]
§ Mr. SackvilleGuidance was issued by the Home Office in 1991 to chief fire officers in England and Wales commending the use of occupational health schemes. Subsequently in its report "In the Line of Fire" in 1995 the Audit Commission endorsed such schemes, which could help reduce the numbers of ill-health retirements in the fire service. Almost all fire authorities now have such schemes, but the details of the arrangements are a matter for the individual authority.