Weekly FBU Report

Monday, 22 November 2010

Mentions

Westminster Debates and Legislation

• Commons Second Reading – Fire Safety (Protection of Tenants) Bill

Political Party Press Releases

• SDLP meets Fire Brigade Union over cuts concerns

Fire Services

Central Government and Agencies

• Defra – New funding for local flood rescue teams

House of Commons

House of Commons Questions

• Johnson, D – Redundancy Costs of Public Sector Cuts
• Flynn – Fire Services Radiation Exposure
• Pincher – EADS Contracts
• Flynn – AWE Aldermaston (Fires)

Political Party Press Releases

• SDLP meets Fire Brigade Union over cuts concerns

Regions

No items
Mentions

Westminster Debates and Legislation

Commons Second Reading – Fire Safety (Protection of Tenants) Bill

Fri, 19 November 2010 | Second Reading Debate

Summary

Analysis to follow

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Political Party Press Releases

SDLP meets Fire Brigade Union over cuts concerns

Wed, 17 November 2010 | Individual Politician Press Release

Contents

THE SDLP met with local members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) at Westminster on Wednesday and backed its calls for proper investment not cuts to safeguard front-line public services.

Speaking after the meeting, SDLP party leader and South Down MP, Margaret Ritchie, said:

“Fire Brigade Union members gave us their main concerns; to defend public safety there must be investment not cuts; that there should be no pay-freeze for union members with a hands-off our pensions warning; that the regional control centres must be scrapped because of the affect on call-out times and, finally, a need for investment in local infrastructure.

“The SDLP back these calls. We will seek a meeting with Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey, and put these concerns to him.”

ENDS

17.11.10

Notes to editors: Mark Durkan Foyle MP also attended the meeting

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Fire Services

Central Government and Agencies

Defra – New funding for local flood rescue teams

Thu, 18 November 2010 | Departmental Press Release

Contents

NEW FUNDING FOR LOCAL FLOOD RESCUE TEAMS

Rescue services in England and Wales are to receive funding to help equip and train local flood rescue teams.

The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced a total of £2million to improve flood rescue capability. Grants totalling approximately £650,000 have been awarded from the fund today.

The money will help local flood resilience teams’ efforts to raise money to buy everything from boats and flood barriers to training sessions for flood rescue volunteers.

Announcing the new funding, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said:

“We have learnt from the floods we have experienced in recent years that the emergency response is most effective when public, private and voluntary groups work well together – and we saw this week in Cornwall how important it is for these groups to have well rehearsed plans in place.

“The money we’re announcing today will help local flood rescue teams – such as fire and rescue services, police and the RNLI – to buy extra equipment or training which will be used in a rescue situation when the need arises.”

All the equipment bought with the new money will be added to the National Asset Register of emergency resources that others can call upon in the event of a major flood.

Applications for the remaining funding can be made to Defra until 31 January 2011.

The successful applicants were announced at a flood emergency response exercise at Hawley Lake in Hampshire, which involved fire and rescue crews, police, Army personnel and the Environment Agency. The event marks the launch of preparations for Exercise Watermark, a week-long national flood emergency exercise which takes place in March next year involving all Government departments.

Caroline Spelman added:

“Exercise Watermark stems from Sir Michael Pitt’s recommendations following the 2007 floods which caused so much devastation and heartache. The government is committed to implementing those recommendations and working with communities to minimise the risks to people’s lives and their livelihoods.

“The events taking place today and next spring when we carry out more emergency drills will help us to be as prepared as we can be for the dangers caused by floods.”

Applications for the remaining funding should be made to Defra by 31 January 2011. For further information on how to apply please go to http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/flooding/planning/frne.htm

The successful applicants for flood rescue funding are:

· Humberside Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) will receive £125,000 to provide four Powered Boat Teams for national use.

· Hampshire FRS will receive £117,000 to provide 2 Powered Boat Teams for national use.

· Devon and Somerset FRS will receive £75,000 to upgrade their assets to four Powered Boats.

· West Yorkshire FRS will receive £30,000 to upgrade their assets to Powered Boats.

· Northamptonshire FRS will receive £100,000 to provide two Powered Boat teams for national use.

· The RNLI will receive £126,000 to support 16 Powered Boat Teams for national deployment in a flooding emergency.

· Nottinghamshire Police will receive £26,000 for training and equipment for their Dive/Search/Flood Rescue Team, which will be deployed across the Midlands.

· British Red Cross to receive £25,000 to support the maintenance costs of Bedford trucks, and training and equipment for individuals within the organisation.

· A further £21,000 has been allocated to 11 flood emergency groups to make small adjustments to their emergency capabilities. They are Cheshire FRS (£2,817); Lancashire FRS (£546); Merseyside FRS (£1,164); Nottinghamshire FRS (£188); Ogden Valley Mountain Rescue (£331); RNLI (£912); SARA (£7,780); Shropshire FRS (£688); Staffordshire FRS (£1,990); Tyne and Wear FRS (£2,617); West Yorkshire FRS (£2,000)

Exercise Watermark is a national emergency flooding exercise organised by Defra and the Welsh Assembly Government that will take place on 4-11 March 2011. The exercise will test the arrangements across England and Wales to respond to severe, wide-area flooding. It will be one of the biggest exercises to take place in the UK. The national exercise will be supported by regional exercises and locally based community activities.

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House of Commons

House of Commons Questions

Johnson, D – Redundancy Costs of Public Sector Cuts

Tue, 16 November 2010 | House of Commons – Oral Question

Summary

In response to a question from Diana Johnson on the cost to the Treasury of redundancy and retraining requirements arising from implementation of proposals contained in the Comprehensive Spending Review, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said that the total cost of workforce reforms would depend on decisions by public employers across the country, which had not yet been finalised.

Ms Johnson said that major job losses were already being announced by police services, which would see skills and experience lost. The cost of redundancy could be up to £8bn, she suggested.

Responding, Mr Alexander argued that this was too high an estimate. Employers were beginning to set out their plans, he said, but it was better that workers draw conclusions from their own managers rather than high-level estimates.

Contents

16. Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab): What estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of redundancy and retraining requirements arising from implementation of proposals contained in the comprehensive spending review. [23979]

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Danny Alexander): The total cost of work force reforms will depend on the decisions of hundreds, if not thousands, of employers up and down the country. Detailed decisions regarding the number of redundancies and the associated costs that may be required have yet to be finalised in most cases, so it would not be appropriate for the Treasury to speculate on any aggregate numbers at this stage.

Diana Johnson: In the police service alone, major job losses are already being announced, such as in the west midlands, Greater Manchester and Lincolnshire, so not only will there be up-front redundancy costs, but there will be the loss of skills and experience. Does the Chief Secretary agree that the cost of redundancies could be as high as £8 billion?

Danny Alexander: I have to say that that sounds like rather an overestimate, but the hon. Lady is right to say that employers are spelling out their own plans for redundancies and for managing their work force in an appropriate way. I recognise that many staff will be very concerned about that, but I believe that it is right that they hear about specific plans from their own management, rather than draw conclusions from higher level aggregate numbers.

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Flynn – Fire Services Radiation Exposure

Mon, 15 November 2010 | House of Commons – Written Answer

Contents

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) national and (b) local agreements there are in relation to the 15 Nov 2010 : Column 538W radiation dose uptake limitation system adopted by each Fire and Rescue Service when attending a radiation emergency at each of the nuclear powered submarine operational berths maintained by the Ministry of Defence as required by Regulation 14 of the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001. [23634]

Robert Neill: The Ionising Radiation Regulations (IRR) 1999 state that the maximum annual dose to all radiation workers (including firefighters attending a radiation incident) is 20 milliSieverts (mSv). There is an additional limit on women of reproductive capacity of 13 milliSieverts in any three month period.

Under the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations (REPPIR) 2001 regulations it is permissible to set aside the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999 dose limits at a licensed nuclear site or at an incident involving transport by rail if in doing so it might be possible to save life or maintain critical infrastructure. In this case it is permissible for an informed volunteer to be exposed to a dose of up to 100 milliSieverts.

There is no specific national agreement in regard to radiation doses for firefighters but there are the national standards as outlined above. Information on local agreements (or emergency plans as stated in regulation 14 of the REPPIR) concerning radiation doses is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, under both the REPPIR and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, it is the responsibility of the individual fire and rescue authority, as the employer, to put in place systems to ensure that employees are protected from excessive exposure to radiation.

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Pincher – EADS Contracts

Mon, 15 November 2010 | House of Commons – Written Answer

Contents

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Suffolk Coastal of 2 November 2010, Official Report, column 669W, on the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company: contracts, what steps he is taking to ensure that EADS will meet its contractual obligations. [24262]

Robert Neill: In June this year we activated a key milestone in our contract with the main contractor, EADS (now branded Cassidian), for delivery of the FiReControl project. This required EADS to complete the main system in three control centres by mid-2011.

Because their record has not improved on delivery of the project, we informed EADS on 8 November that we consider them to be in material breach of their obligations under the contract and required them to remedy the position in 20 working days.

I have made it clear to EADS that they must deliver to time, cost and quality. The Government are not going to bail out this contractor with additional public funding. We are going to stand up for the interests of the taxpayer and the fire and rescue service.

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Flynn – AWE Aldermaston (Fires)

Fri, 12 November 2010 | House of Commons – Written Answer

Contents

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who will lead the independent review of the fire at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston; and when he expects the findings of the review to be published. [21970]

Peter Luff: The independent review will be led by Mr Peter McIntyre, an independent member of the Atomic Weapons Establishment’s Nuclear Safety Committee. It is expected that the findings will be published before the end of the year.

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Political Party Press Releases

SDLP meets Fire Brigade Union over cuts concerns

Wed, 17 November 2010 | Individual Politician Press Release

Contents

THE SDLP met with local members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) at Westminster on Wednesday and backed its calls for proper investment not cuts to safeguard front-line public services.

Speaking after the meeting, SDLP party leader and South Down MP, Margaret Ritchie, said:

“Fire Brigade Union members gave us their main concerns; to defend public safety there must be investment not cuts; that there should be no pay-freeze for union members with a hands-off our pensions warning; that the regional control centres must be scrapped because of the affect on call-out times and, finally, a need for investment in local infrastructure.

“The SDLP back these calls. We will seek a meeting with Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey, and put these concerns to him.”

ENDS

17.11.10

Notes to editors: Mark Durkan Foyle MP also attended the meeting

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