Hansard

Yes, convener.Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. First, I thank the committee for giving the Chief Fire Officers Association the opportunity to deliver an oral submission. We welcome the publication of the Fire (Scotland) Bill as a positive piece of legislation that will deliver better fire and rescue services in Scotland and provide a greater focus on the safety of Scotland's community. We particularly welcome the bill's provisions on fire safety and fire investigation. However, in our formal submission, we highlight a number of questions and issues that we wish to raise and that we have categorised as strategic comment, operational dimension and detailed observations. Today, CFOA Scotland would like to take this opportunity to amplify the issues that we have already identified as being of strategic concern to us.As far as ministerial powers are concerned, we acknowledge that it is correct and proper for ministers to have appropriate powers in certain areas for the overall governance of the Scottish fire and rescue service. However, we remain concerned about the range of additional powers that ministers are proposing to take in the bill. Part of the previous debate on introducing new legislative proposals related to replacing ministerial power with increased accountability and responsibilities for fire authorities. The bill does not appear to support that principle. There are some 27 areas in the proposed legislation in which Scottish ministers intend to take powers to direct the way in which local authority-governed fire and rescue services will be managed. It is considered that those proposals will have significant implications for the management of the fire and rescue authorities. Areas in which ministers propose to take powers are shown in appendix 1 of our submission.As regards the governance and management of the fire and rescue service, CFOA Scotland supports the need for a clear and unambiguous understanding of the responsibilities and accountabilities of ministers, fire authorities and fire and rescue service managers. Otherwise, a diminution of standards could occur and confusion in areas of governance could arise. In particular, at present, the Fire Services Act 1947 provides for a firemaster to have direct responsibility to the fire authority for the efficient management of the service. Specifically, section 19(2) says:"the chief officer of the fire brigade … shall be directly responsible to the fire authority".CFOA Scotland contends that the same provision should be contained in the Fire (Scotland) Bill to ensure that appropriate professional advice is provided directly to fire and rescue authorities. We would consider that to be consistent with, and supportive of, the Executive-sponsored principles of integrated risk management planning.CFOA Scotland is committed to the development of more effective and efficient fire and rescue service provision in Scotland in accordance with the principles of best value. However, we are of the opinion that there needs to be greater clarity regarding the future structure of the Scottish fire and rescue service—in particular, regarding the size and numbers of fire and rescue services as they relate to the minister's proposals on the number of fire and rescue service command and control centres and to the bill's proposals on the development of a common fire service agency. Those topical areas are critical to the efficient operation and governance of the service.Our view of the development of a common fire service agency is that it will be an overly bureaucratic forum that will add very little benefit to the service. CFOA Scotland maintains its view that further development of present arrangements of governance of the service, and the practical implementation of joint working arrangements between brigades, would allow the policy objectives of ministers to be met without the need to create an additional layer of bureaucracy for the service. Such an additional layer, together with an unnecessary financial consequence, is what a common agency would provide. CFOA Scotland believes that its members can, by maintaining existing governance arrangements with fire authorities, support the delivery of the efficiencies, economies and effectiveness that the Executive seeks. CFOA Scotland has developed a strategic model to support its contention and would be pleased to discuss the details further with the Executive.Finally, on the issue of fire service command and control rooms, we have submitted—under separate cover to the Executive—a detailed commentary on the Executive's consultant's report on the future of fire service control rooms in Scotland. Of the small number of possible options presented, we consider that the option of having three fire service command and control rooms, with a west, east and north distribution, would best meet the resilience and operational requirements of the service.As with most issues of this kind, some clarity is required on the financial data identified in the consultant's report, on which the consultant's recommendations are very much based. CFOA Scotland has difficulty in reconciling the financial information to the human resource needs identified. We are firmly of the view that the projected savings are very much overstated. Detailed comments on the specifics of those matters have been made to the Finance Committee in response to its invitation to provide comment on the financial implications of the bill.Once again, many thanks for the audience. We now invite the committee to ask any further questions as necessary.