§ Lord Howie of Troonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which statutory duties devolve to fire authorities as a result of the application of Sections 5, 6, 7 and 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 in respect of the prevention of crime and creation of crime and disorder strategies; and whether any guidance on these matters had been issued by the Home Office prior to 11 June. [HL633]
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Rooker)The Act places a duty on police and local authorities jointly to establish crime and disorder reduction partnerships in their areas and to develop and implement a strategy to deal with local problems. The Act requires these authorities to consult and seek the participation of other public, private and voluntary groups and the local community. There is no devolved statutory duty to fire authorities but the partnership is required to consult chief fire officers in the strategy-setting process.
Guidance was issued to partnerships by the Home Office when the Act came into force. This promoted the active involvement of the fire service and other agencies in the work of partnerships. A copy has been placed in the Library.