– in the Scottish Parliament at on 2 November 2023.
Pauline McNeill
Labour
1. To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made towards reaching a resolution to the on-going dispute with the Fire Brigades Union. (S6O-02672)
Siobhian Brown
Scottish National Party
I will be clear: the Scottish Government is not in dispute with the FBU. The FBU campaigns on behalf of its members, as all trade unions do, and we share the aim of having an effective Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to keep our communities safe. I meet the FBU regularly and am next scheduled to meet it this month.
Pauline McNeill
Labour
The regional secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, John McKenzie, is on record as saying that the union is in consultation with its members on industrial action, but it is extremely important to note that that action is a result of the deep impact of cuts on the safe running of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and that firefighters are considering taking that unprecedented action because they are firmly of the view that lives are being put at risk. With that in mind, what will the Scottish Government do to avert strike action and ensure safer communities?
Siobhian Brown
Scottish National Party
The £36 million savings figure for 2026-27 that has been quoted by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s chief officer is based on various assumptions about inflation, pay increases and future funding levels, all of which can change over time. The resource spending review provides long-term indicative spending plans for the Scottish Government, based on the challenging financial situation that we currently find ourselves in. Although it is appropriate for the SFRS to assess its long-term planning up to 2026-27 on that basis, that assessment does not replace the annual budget that is presented to the Parliament. The amount that is allocated to the SFRS in the annual budget will be based on a robust assessment of need—as was the case for 2023-24, when we gave it an extra £14.4 million.
Sharon Dowey
Conservative
Our fire service is in crisis, according to the Fire Brigades Union. The on-going dispute, if unresolved, threatens to have a further detrimental impact on response times in rural communities in my region. Why should rural communities suffer due to the Scottish National Party Government’s failure to resolve long-standing issues within the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service?
Siobhian Brown
Scottish National Party
Since 2017-18, there have been substantial year-on-year increases in funding to support the SFRS to create a modern and effective fire and rescue service. The annual budget for the SFRS for 2023-24 is more than £55.3 million higher than it was in 2017-18. I highlight to Sharon Dowey that, during First Minister’s Question Time on 26 October, the First Minister made it clear that
“We continue to invest in our fire service. I want to thank and pay tribute to the FBU and to our firefighters on the ground. I will continue to promise them that we will, as long as we are in Government, continue to ensure that they get the investment that they need to keep” the community
“safe.”—[
Official Report
, 26 October 2023; c 16.]
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