Clause 9 - Emergencies
Fire and Rescue Services Bill
3:30 pm
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
I am going to suggest to the Minister a way to cut his work load. The incidents that he is describing are emergencies as defined in the Civil Contingencies Bill, which so intimately interlocks with this Bill that we can scarcely avoid touching on it, and the ability for fire authorities to respond to a CBRN incident, for example, is surely already provided for in the Civil Contingencies Bill—as a first responder, they would be obliged to accept directions under that legislation. It is not necessary to repeat that provision in this Bill, which should surely be focused on the more routine, if very important, matters that the fire service must address.