HL Deb 05 January 2004 vol 657 cc15-7WA
Lord McCarthy

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the present annual increase of 4.7 per cent in spending on the Fire Service will need to change when the proposals for improved and additional services, as specified in the recent White Paper, Our Fire and Rescue Service, are introduced. [HL387]

Lord Rooker

There has been a 28 per cent increase in core expenditure provision for fire and rescue authorities since 1997, a year-on-year increase of over 4 per cent and a real increase in provision. In 2004–05 authorities will receive an average increase of 4.2 per cent and no authority will get less than a 3.5 per cent increase.

The Government believe that the costs and savings of modernisation should balance over the spending review 2002 period (2003–04 to 2005–06). Fire and rescue authorities, through the Local Government Association, have said that this is achievable. The Independent Review of the Fire and Rescue Service said: "We are confident that, within the foreseeable future, benefits will more than exceed additional costs, including those of the pay increase we propose".

However, the Government recognise that there may be a lag between costs and savings of modernisation. An additional £30 million transitional funding is available for England and Wales, which will be released subject to satisfactory progress on ongoing pay negotiations and modernisation. It will be recouped over the SR2002 period.

In addition, the Government have committed £56 million on phase one of the New Dimension programme, which seeks to ensure that fire and rescue authorities are sufficiently trained and equipped to deal safely and effectively with major chemical, nuclear, biological and conventional terrorist incidents on a national scale. The Government are also providing a further £132 million for phase two of the New Dimension programme, which includes purchase of modern search and rescue equipment which will improve authorities' capacity to respond to incidents involving, for example, collapsed buildings.

Lord McCarthy

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How much is spent annually on the Fire Service; and how this money is distributed between central and local government [HL388]

Lord Rooker

The Government have increased core grant to fire and rescue authorities by 28 per cent increase since 1997, from £1,237 million to £1,583 million in 2003–04; a year-on-year increase of over 4 per cent. In 2004–05 authorities will receive an average increase of 4.2 per cent and no authority will receive less than 3.5 per cent. The Government will also distribute £61.68 million in supported capital expenditure in 2004–05.

As part of the pay and modernisation agreement, government are making £30 million transitional funding available—which will be released subject to satisfactory progress on modernisation and ongoing pay negotiations—to help with up-front costs. This transitional funding is to be repaid by fire and rescue authorities within the spending review 2002 period.

In addition we are making over £100 million available in notional credit approvals to support local private finance initiative (PFI) projects, which help fire and rescue authorities meet their objectives, in line with the White Paper and the National Framework.

Also, the Government are providing substantial direct investment in fire and rescue services. In 2003–04 we announced additional funding for the Fire Service College: £5 million on refurbishment of its unique fireground and support facilities; £2.5 million for urban search and rescue training facility; and £2.5 million in the Integrated Personal Development System "Hub" and its development. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has announced investment of £56 million on phase 1 of the New Dimension programme and will be spending £132 million on phase 2. We are providing a new radio communications system—Firelink—to improve the service's resilience and inter-operability between brigades and other emergency services. The Government will also procure and finance a new call handling and mobilisation system for the service.