§ Jeff EnnisTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) if he will make a statement on firefighter numbers in South Yorkshire; [10386]
(2) what the average number of firefighters is per 10,000 population in (a) South Yorkshire, (b) the Metropolitan fire authorities and (c) England. [10384]
§ Dr. WhiteheadBased on annual returns to HM Fire Service Inspectorate, actual firefighter numbers for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Services as at 31 March 2001 were as follows:
Number Whole time 920 Retained1 38.83 1 Expressed as 24-hour units of cover Statutory responsibility for the provision of an efficient fire service, including maintenance of a firefighter establishment sufficient to meet national standards of fire cover, rests locally with the fire authority, in this case the South Yorkshire Fire and Civil Defence Authority.
According to the latest available information the number of firefighters, including retained firefighters in terms of units of 24 hour cover, per 10,000 population at 31 March 2001 was:
Number South Yorkshire 7.4 Metropolitan fire authorities 8.1 England 8.4 Note:
Firefighters numbers are provisional derived from annual returns to HM Fire Service Inspectorate. Population figures are taken from the 2000 mid-year estimates prepared by the Office for National Statistics