Clause 19 - Charging
Fire and Rescue Services Bill
2:30 pm
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
Perhaps I should qualify my remarks. The discretion would only work in a way that is satisfactory and acceptable if it were limited to the non-core functions. I certainly do not want fire and rescue authorities to be able to charge for carrying out their core, front-line emergency work, and I imagine that other members of the Committee—I am looking at the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hall Green (Mr. McCabe)—would also be pretty horrified at the thought of a fire and rescue authority turning up at a road accident scene with its invoice pad in hand.
I am interested by the Minister's intervention. I anticipated that his defence of the structure involving the Secretary of State in authorising charging in certain areas would be that he needs to ensure that fire authorities are not able to charge in areas where it is not appropriate, or where the public would be outraged were charges to be imposed. No doubt, we will come that debate in due course.