Operational and training duties
Fire and Rescue Services Bill
4:30 pm
Mr Phil Hope (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister; Corby, Labour/Co-operative)
The new clause is intended to be supportive of the retained section of the fire service. However, the financial implications for the fire and rescue services of paragraphs (a) and (b) would be considerable, particularly in areas, not least Devon, where a large proportion of the fire cover is provided by retained staff. While the proposal in paragraph (c) would not have a direct financial impact for fire and rescue authorities, the Government believe that the support of public sector employers should not be singled out as the subject of specific legislation in this regard.
However, the Committee will be aware that on 15 December 2003 I announced a comprehensive review of the issues affecting the retained section of the service. Indeed, I did so at a meeting of the Retained Firefighters Union. That review is now under way and will examine the many factors that contribute to the recruitment and retention challenges faced by the retained section of the fire and rescue service. In addition to the issues that the hon. Member for Teignbridge raised, they will include equality and diversity, public awareness, deployment, community participation, the role, reward and conditions of service, and—I emphasise ''and''— engagement with the business community. The team that we have established will look at ways to engage effectively with a wide range of employers, both private and public, to engender better understanding of the retained firefighter's role and the benefits to the employer of encouraging and supporting their staff in undertaking this role.
The review team includes members from a variety of stakeholder groups, including the Local Government Association, CACFOA and the RFU. The review team will seek advice as appropriate.