§ Geraint DaviesTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what effect the time scale proposed for the procurement of a national radio communications system for the fire services in England and Wales will have on the ability of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority to have in place a new radio system by December 2005. [70001]
§ Mr. LeslieThe project to procure a national radio communications system for the fire service is now under way. A prior indicative notice was published under EU procurement rules on 11 July, and the project team are taking forward work on the development of project plans and system specification. We expect to publish a formal notice in theOfficial Journal of the European Communities by the end of this year. The new national procurement strategy will deliver new radio systems to fire authorities, including the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, from 2005 up to December 2007—but with higher levels of resilience and interoperability than planned under the previous regional procurement.