Oral Answers to Questions

Sarah Champion Excerpts

Monday 4th February 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Prisk]

Disposable income is very important—the hon. Gentleman is right—which is why I am proud that our Government are unlike the Labour party, which doubled council tax bills during its term in office. That hits the disposable pound, and it is a shame that the Labour party did not understand that while in government.

[Sarah Champion (Rotherham) (Lab)]

4. What assessment he has made of the effect of spending reductions in each fire and rescue service area.

[Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South) (Lab)]

15. What assessment he has made of the effect of spending reductions in each fire and rescue service area.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Brandon Lewis)]

Fire and rescue authorities have been protected by back-loading grant reductions into years 3 and 4 of the spending review period. That has provided time to meet the reductions without impacting on the quality of local services. There is scope for fire and rescue authorities to make sensible savings.

[Sarah Champion]

In South Yorkshire, we are losing 140 firefighters, and we are currently advertising for contract part-time reservists, not full-timers. Will the Minister assure us that these actions and the restrictions on growth will not affect response times, which could put lives at risk?

[Brandon Lewis]

As I am sure the hon. Lady will appreciate, local response times and decision making over local things like that are a matter for the local fire service. I am pleased to say, however, that the fire service has been protected; indeed, South Yorkshire will receive an extra £2.4 million in capital funding.