§ Kali MountfordTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has received the recommendations of the inquiry into the machinery for determining firefighters' conditions of service. [119127]
§ Mr. StrawProfessor Burchill, who undertook the inquiry has submitted to me a number of recommendations for improving the working of the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Fire Brigades. These include proposals which would involve the acceptance by the employees and the union of conciliation and arbitration, in the event of disputes, a clarification of procedures, a streamlining of the negotiation arrangements, and an independent Chair for the National Joint Council.
Implementation of these recommendations would be a matter for the National Joint Council rather than for the Government itself. I am, therefore, consulting the employers and the union, and with other interested parties, to confirm that they are willing to accept the proposals and to give them effect. I expect to announce the outcome of these consultations and to publish Professor Burchill's report early next month.
I am extremely grateful to Professor Burchill for the time and effort he has given to the inquiry, the way he has conducted it and the extent of common understanding and agreement he has already been able to achieve.
§ Mr. McWalterTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has reached a decision on the bids for notional credit approvals under the second round of the private finance initiative for the Fire Service. [119128]
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§ Mr. Mike O'BrienWe received indicative bids from ten fire authorities for notional credit approvals under this second Private Finance Initiative (PFI) round for the fire service.
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has today decided that notional credit approvals for 2001–02 should be set aside in respect of indicative bids from the fire authorities for:
- Tyne and Wear (Phase one of its proposed scheme)
- West Midlands
- Dorset
- Mid and West Wales.
It will now be for those authorities to prepare an outline business case. Confirmation of the credit approvals will be given only on completion of such a business case demonstrating that PFI is the most cost-effective solution for the projects concerned, and on approval of the inter-departmental Project Review Group.
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has also decided that he will be prepared to consider further the indicative bids from Tyne and Wear (Phase two) and London once decisions on provision of notional credit approvals for 2002–03 have been taken.
We shall be in touch with all those authorities whose bids were not selected on this occasion to offer guidance on how the bids might be developed and resubmitted in any future bidding rounds.