§ Baroness Harris of Richmondasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the radio system they are putting in place for the fire service is different from that operated by both the police and the ambulance service. [HL4862]
§ Lord RookerThe invitation to submit proposals set out the functional requirements for a national wide-area radio system that meets the operational needs of the fire and rescue service and secures interoperability with the other emergency services. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is conducting an open competition under EU procurement procedures. Companies were invited to put forward their own technical solutions to meet those requirements and the contract is still under negotiation. No technology has been ruled out. A more restrictive procurement process would in the Government's view have been less likely to deliver best value for money.