Oral Answers to Questions

Emma Lewell-Buck Excerpts

Monday 10th June 2019 Commons Chamber

[Sajid Javid]

On the hon. and learned Lady’s first question, it sounds as though she has not read the White Paper yet because it talks about increasing post-study work permits. On the question about detention, we have a comprehensive and detailed policy on adults at risk; we constantly keep it under review, and when there are specific cases we will look at them very carefully.

[Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) (Lab)]

7. What assessment he has made of the effect on safety of changes to overnight fire cover by fire services.

[Emma Dent Coad (Kensington) (Lab)]

20. What assessment he has made of the effect on safety of changes to overnight fire cover by fire services.

[The Minister for Policing and the Fire Service (Mr Nick Hurd)]

Operational decisions are for each fire and rescue authority to make as part of their work to assess local risk and manage and allocate resources according to their integrated risk management planning process. What we have done is reintroduce independent inspection by asking HMICFRS—Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary and fire and rescue services—to assess how effective each fire and rescue service is in responding to fires.

[Mrs Lewell-Buck]

I thank the Minister for his response, but the reality is that Government cuts are having a dangerous impact on safety. If Tyne and Wear’s fire and rescue service funding does not increase, this year we could see overnight cover cut by 50% in South Tyneside, putting my constituents and our local firefighters’ lives at risk. When will the Government increase funding to protect our lives?

[Mr Hurd]

I know there are strong feelings about the funding of Tyne and Wear fire service because we had a debate in Westminster Hall, and I have subsequently met Chris Lowther, the chief, to discuss that. Our view is that the fire service has the resources it needs to continue providing what is acknowledged to be a good service underpinned by very high levels of reserves, but we are approaching a comprehensive spending review in which we will be looking to continue to make sure that the fire service has the resources it needs to do its very difficult job.