Operational and training duties
Fire and Rescue Services Bill
4:15 pm
Mr Richard Younger-Ross (Shadow Minister, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Local Government & the Regions; Teignbridge, Liberal Democrat)
I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
I shall be exceedingly brief so that we can try to fit in the other new clauses as well. Essentially, there are three probing provisions, which I hope will elicit a response from the Under-Secretary. Paragraph (a) is intended to find out to whether there is any possibility that fire authorities will be able to make payments to employers to encourage retained firefighters. Are there any circumstances in which that could occur? Paragraph (b) is probably less controversial, and is designed to find out whether fire authorities would be empowered to make awards to employers who had been particularly good in allowing large numbers of staff to become retained firefighters.
Paragraph (c), which might be easier for the Under-Secretary to deal with, relates to what he would do to encourage public sector employers, and in particular local authorities, in that respect. They can be reluctant to allow people to become retained firefighters. What actions would he propose to encourage, push, shove or cajole them—we are, after all, talking about the same Department, the ODPM—into allowing people to become retained firefighters?