Clause 20 - Exercise of powers at or under sea
Fire and Rescue Services Bill
5:00 pm
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
I want to ask the Minister one question about the clause. I think of it as the channel tunnel clause. There may be other applications, but the channel tunnel application seems to require an answer. If a fire and rescue authority has the power to act outside its area, that power may be exercised under this clause at sea or under the sea. That is fairly uncontentious. The restrictions contained in the Bill, including the restrictions on charging for recovery at more than cost, will apply to work carried out at sea or under the sea.
The Kent and Medway combined fire authority, as I understand it, provides fire cover for the channel tunnel. There is a permanently manned fire station at the tunnel entrance, which is staffed by Kent fire authority personnel and managed by the Kent fire authority. Although under the present regime the authority is not allowed to charge for firefighting interventions, it charges the operators of the channel tunnel substantial sums for maintaining capacity.
I guess that if we were having a broad philosophical discussion, the distinction between fighting fires and maintaining capacity might be rather academic. Most people will call the fire service to fight a fire in their home or building only very rarely, but they will want to ensure that capacity is maintained 24/7 should they wish to call upon it. The Minister will be delighted to hear that I do not intend to engage him in a philosophical debate about capacity charging, but can he give me the reassurance that nothing in the clause—I will limit it to the clause—will change the arrangements that the Kent and Medway combined fire authority has in relation to its operations in the channel tunnel? What discussions have he or his officials had with the Kent and Medway fire authority and the channel tunnel operators about the clause? How will it impact on that authority and the arrangements that are in place for fire and rescue cover in the channel tunnel?