§ Mr. GummerTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what estimate he has made of the job losses in(a) Suffolk and (b) East Anglia which will result from the regionalisation of the Fire Service; [146522]
(2) what reduction in the number of managerial jobs he expects to result from the regionalisation of the Fire Service in East Anglia; [146523]
(3) what (a) operational benefits and (b) other advantages to the people of East Suffolk he expects to accrue from his plans to regionalise the Fire Service; [146525]
(4) what financial benefits to (a) the Treasury, (b) Suffolk county council, (c) taxpayers and (d) council taxpayers in Suffolk he expects to accrue from his plans to regionalise the Fire Service; [146526]
(5) what discussions he has had with (a) retained and (b) full-time firefighters in Suffolk on his plans to regionalise the Fire Service; and what their advice was; [146527]
(6) what community consultation he has held in Suffolk on his plans to regionalise the Fire Service; [146528]
(7) what discussions he has had with the Suffolk Police Authority on his plans to regionalise the Fire Service; [146531]
(8) what discussions he has had with Suffolk county council on his plans to regionalise the Fire Service; [146532]
(9) whom he has consulted on the plans to regionalise Suffolk's Fire Service. [146533]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe Government are not proposing to regionalise the fire and rescue service in the East of England. Suffolk county council will continue to be responsible for the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service. The White Paper (Cm 5808) made clear that only where860W voters choose to have an Elected Regional Assembly will there be a change to the democratic accountability of the service.
The Government's overriding objective is to save lives by doing more to prevent fires occurring in the first place. The White Paper also set out the government's expectation that existing fire authorities, including those in the East of England, would develop robust regional management arrangements to deliver the functions which are most efficiently and effectively performed at a regional level. Under these arrangements staff numbers in the East of England will continue to be a matter for the individual Fire and Rescue Authority employers concerned.
Operationally, the benefits of the regional approach will be improved resilience to terrorism and to major incidents such as flooding, integrated modern control rooms with the latest technology and improved specialist fire investigation.
Financially, procurement, training and human resource functions will all benefit from standardisation and pooling of resources and expertise. It is not possible to provide a meaningful breakdown of the respective benefits these savings will bring to central Government, individual citizens and localities, but all will benefit from a reduction in the £6.63 billion annual cost of fire to the economy in England and Wales.
The Government are currently consulting on their draft National Framework for the Fire and Rescue Service. Those to whom the document has been sent include the Chairs of individual Fire Authorities, the Local Government Association and a wide range of bodies representing both retained and full time staff. Police authorities have not been specifically consulted, but comments from all stakeholders are invited by 12 March 2004.
In addition, all aspects of fire modernisation are discussed when we meet interested parties from time-to-time in the course of our Ministerial duties. The Chief Fire Officer for Suffolk attended the Fire and Rescue Service seminar on 3 December 2003 addressed by the right hon. Nick Raynsford MP and Phil Hope MP, and officials from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expect to visit the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service shortly.
§ Mr. GummerTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister under what powers he would implement the regionalisation of the Fire Service without the consent of Suffolk county council. [146524]
§ Mr. RaynsfordIt is expected that the voluntary arrangements proposed in the White Paper "Our Fire and Rescue Service" will succeed. However, the Fire and Rescue Services Bill will strengthen and streamline the existing power in Section 6 of the Fire Services Act 1947 to combine Fire and Rescue Authorities, after consultation with the existing authorities and other persons affected.
§ Mr. GummerTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what evidence he has received to support his proposal that the fire station in Orford would provide a swifter and more efficient service if controlled by the same centralised system as Rickmansworth; [146529]
861W(2) what research relating to East Anglia he has commissioned to provide factual backing for his plans to regionalise the Fire Service. [146530]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe Government's conclusions about the benefits of a regional approach are set out in the White Paper "Our Fire and Rescue Service" (Cm 5808), and are informed by, a number of reviews of the service, culminating in the report of the Independent Review of the Fire Service published in December 2002. These reports are listed in the White Paper.
The Mott MacDonald report on the "Future of Fire and Rescue Service Control Rooms in England and Wales", published in December 2003, concluded that the optimum solution to secure efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of fire and rescue service control rooms would be nine control rooms in England one matched to the areas of the Government Offices for the Regions. The Government accepts the conclusions of the Mott MacDonald report, and is consulting on implementation. Copies of the report and a related one by Her Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate are available in the Library of the House.
A recent report by Her Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate concluded that local purchasing arrangements based on individual preferences are not the most efficient means of obtaining goods, services and equipment. I am placing copies in the Library. These documents, while not specific to East Anglia, are applicable to the area.