Clause 3 - Creation of combined fire and rescue authorities: supplementary
Fire and Rescue Services Bill
4:00 pm
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
No. If CFAs are established, I would prefer them to operate in the perfectly satisfactory way in which I understand the current CFAs operate, with members appointed by the underlying clause 1 authorities. The Minister is giving a variant of his usually benign smile, which suggests that he thinks that existing fire and rescue authorities do not operate effectively. One is bound to ask why the provisions of clause 3 are limited to new fire and rescue authorities created under the powers of clause 2, and do not extend to those authorities that exist by virtue of clause 4 bringing forward provisions from the 1947 Act. I hope that the Minister will not tell us that the
situation in the 38 existing CFAs is unsatisfactory. If it is, the Minister should put forward proposals to deal with that. I am deeply sceptical of any proposal that seeks to address a problem by giving more power to the Secretary of State.
Sitting suspended for a Division in the House.
On resuming—