§ Baroness Thorntonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish the report of the inquiry into the machinery for determining firefighters' conditions of service. [HL2336]
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonI announced in the reply I gave the noble Baroness, Lady Thornton, on 12 April (col.WA 51) that my right honourable friend the Home Secretary had received Professor Burchill's recommendations and was consulting upon them. He very much welcomes his proposals for improving the working of the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Fire Brigades and the positive reaction there has been to them. The report of the inquiry was published on 5 May as a command paper and copies have been placed in the Library. He is asking for further comments from interested parties on the detail of the report and its recommendations to reach him by the end of this month.