Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Portsmouth North of 15 December 2014, Official Report, column 115, for what reasons a statutory instrument was not laid on 16 December 2014.

The Fire and Rescue Authorities (National Framework) (England) (Revision) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/3317) was made on 16 December. It was laid in Parliament on 18 December, following the normal process, and has been published at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2014/3317.

The amendment to the Fire and Rescue National Framework for England sets out the principles we expect fire and rescue authorities to have regard to in setting their fitness policies and procedures and their approach to firefighters who lose fitness to support them in working to 60. The mechanisms by which fire and rescue authorities are required to have regard to the National Framework along with the associated powers of intervention, inspection and reporting are set out in Sections 21 to 25 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. We will be undertaking a review of the National Framework principles in three years time, after consultation with partners in the fire and rescue service, and at that stage will assess whether any further action is required.

Dr Williams found that “Based on current practices of setting a standard of 42 mL∙kg∙min-1 VO2max but allowing firefighters to remain operational at a 35 mL∙kg∙min-1 VO2max”. The Department considered the policies that were submitted to that review and agreed with Dr Williams’ assessment of current practice. I have placed copies of the fitness policies that the Department considered in the Library of the House.