Chamber
Plenary, 10 Sep 2009
10 Sep 2009 · S3 · Plenary
Item of business
Fire and Rescue Framework
Like colleagues, I pay tribute to the work and dedication of the fire service. The untimely death of Ewan Williamson reminds us that some of the jobs that are done in our society are hazardous and occasionally fatal. We should never forget that.
I also pay tribute to the recent work of fire and rescue services during the floods. We do not need to have been up north or anywhere near Fochabers to have discovered that floods can arrive. The sight of floods in the middle of Aberdeen came as a surprise to many, not least the owners of the cars that suddenly disappeared beneath the floods.
I, too, have visited my local fire brigade. I was interested to see what it does, and it was a fascinating visit. However, I did not sample a local hat. I was not offered one because, I suspect, it was felt that the brigade might not have one that was big enough. I note on reflection that the fire station is only a mile from my home. I think that that is a good place to have a home.
As has perhaps become my wont in the Parliament, I will discuss some of the issues at the periphery of the main topic of discussion, which has been amply covered by others. I start by looking at what I might describe as end-of-valley arrangements. I have addressed before the ability of ambulances to reach people who live at the end of the roads up the valleys that go from Aberdeen into Aberdeenshire, but there is a link to the issue of fire and rescue services. It seems to me and others that, if we are to have satisfactory arrangements for such things, integration is needed. We need to think carefully about how we integrate emergency services of one sort or another away from major conurbations in order to reach people who live at the end of valleys where there is no access from the other side. In such situations, we have to do what we can to get to people as quickly as possible. Standard response times become meaningless when the start point and end point are 15 or 20 minutes apart.
We must also continue to make efforts to reduce the number of fires. Quite simply, a person will not get hurt in a fire that does not start. I notice that the trends are in the right direction, which suggests that the right things have been done in the past.
I am glad that Stewart Maxwell commented on fire-resistant cigarettes, as I was going to mention them. If we had a mechanism for reducing deaths on the road by a factor of a third, we would grasp it without having much of a discussion about it. I suspect that the introduction of seat belts in cars had a rather greater effect than that, and it did not require much discussion once somebody had worked out the statistics. I am not sure what the statistics are on RIP cigarettes—I am not sure that we have heard them yet—but it is entirely clear that we are going in the right direction. If it is clear that RIP cigarettes will make a substantial difference, we should emphasise that. I appreciate that the matter is reserved, but—
I also pay tribute to the recent work of fire and rescue services during the floods. We do not need to have been up north or anywhere near Fochabers to have discovered that floods can arrive. The sight of floods in the middle of Aberdeen came as a surprise to many, not least the owners of the cars that suddenly disappeared beneath the floods.
I, too, have visited my local fire brigade. I was interested to see what it does, and it was a fascinating visit. However, I did not sample a local hat. I was not offered one because, I suspect, it was felt that the brigade might not have one that was big enough. I note on reflection that the fire station is only a mile from my home. I think that that is a good place to have a home.
As has perhaps become my wont in the Parliament, I will discuss some of the issues at the periphery of the main topic of discussion, which has been amply covered by others. I start by looking at what I might describe as end-of-valley arrangements. I have addressed before the ability of ambulances to reach people who live at the end of the roads up the valleys that go from Aberdeen into Aberdeenshire, but there is a link to the issue of fire and rescue services. It seems to me and others that, if we are to have satisfactory arrangements for such things, integration is needed. We need to think carefully about how we integrate emergency services of one sort or another away from major conurbations in order to reach people who live at the end of valleys where there is no access from the other side. In such situations, we have to do what we can to get to people as quickly as possible. Standard response times become meaningless when the start point and end point are 15 or 20 minutes apart.
We must also continue to make efforts to reduce the number of fires. Quite simply, a person will not get hurt in a fire that does not start. I notice that the trends are in the right direction, which suggests that the right things have been done in the past.
I am glad that Stewart Maxwell commented on fire-resistant cigarettes, as I was going to mention them. If we had a mechanism for reducing deaths on the road by a factor of a third, we would grasp it without having much of a discussion about it. I suspect that the introduction of seat belts in cars had a rather greater effect than that, and it did not require much discussion once somebody had worked out the statistics. I am not sure what the statistics are on RIP cigarettes—I am not sure that we have heard them yet—but it is entirely clear that we are going in the right direction. If it is clear that RIP cigarettes will make a substantial difference, we should emphasise that. I appreciate that the matter is reserved, but—
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Alex Fergusson):
NPA
Good morning. The first item of business this morning is a debate on motion S3M-4810, in the name of Fergus Ewing, on the fire and rescue framework.We have a...
The Minister for Community Safety (Fergus Ewing):
SNP
The Scottish Government requested this debate to give the Parliament an opportunity to discuss our continued commitment to ensuring that Scotland has an effi...
Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab):
Lab
As part of the review, will the minister ensure that IRMP is not just about cost cutting, but does what it is supposed to do?
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
During the past three years there has been an increase of 12 per cent in revenue funding, which I think we all welcome. I assure the member that cost cutting...
Paul Martin (Glasgow Springburn) (Lab):
Lab
I concur with the minister's remarks in respect of the late Ewan Williamson, and on behalf of my party I send our condolences to his family during this diffi...
Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD):
LD
We will support both the motion and Labour's amendment.I listened carefully to the minister's comments, and I am grateful for the insight that he gave the Pa...
Alasdair Allan (Western Isles) (SNP):
SNP
I appreciate that the member acknowledges the importance of the work that retained firefighters do. In that light, can he explain why the only Lib Dem member...
Robert Brown:
LD
I think that I am right in saying that my colleague, the former member of the European Parliament for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, took a particular view ...
John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con):
Con
I endorse the comments of the minister and others on the tragic loss of Ewan Williamson.The Scottish Conservatives welcome the publication of the "Draft Fire...
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
We come to the open debate. I repeat that we have some flexibility with time, so members should feel free to take interventions.
Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I associate myself with the minister's remarks on the tragic death of Ewan Williamson. I know that the thoughts of all members go out to his friends, his fam...
Robert Brown:
LD
Has Stewart Maxwell been struck, as I have been, by the fact that the majority of fatal casualties occur in fires in dwellings in which smoke detectors are n...
Stewart Maxwell:
SNP
Robert Brown makes a salient point. There has been huge success in bringing smoke detectors to the public's attention. Many people install them and change th...
Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab):
Lab
I express my sincere condolences to the family of Ewan Williamson for their grievous loss. I also state my admiration for the bravery of my fellow trade unio...
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
It might be useful to make it clear that the Government has an entirely open mind in respect of governance issues. We appreciate and have discussed with the ...
Bill Butler:
Lab
I am grateful to the minister for his assertion that the Government has an open mind on governance issues. That chimes with his opening speech, in which he s...
Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP):
SNP
Like other members, I associate myself with the minister's tribute to Ewan Williamson. Many firefighters in my constituency knew and worked with Ewan. I also...
Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab):
Lab
I, too, associate myself with members' comments about Ewan Williamson.I will be fairly brief and will concentrate on a subject that has been mentioned only i...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Alasdair Morgan):
SNP
That is a good time to stop, certainly.
Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD):
LD
It is a pity that we could not have had this debate yesterday, when I understand that an unusually high number of emergency service personnel from throughout...
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
Is the member aware that I have an excellent relationship with Mr Raeburn from his party?
Jim Tolson:
LD
I was not aware of that detail. However, when it comes to working with others, the minister might recall that, when the Liberal Democrats raised the issue of...
Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I welcome the opportunity to debate the Government's draft fire and rescue framework. Like other members, I pay tribute to Scotland's 8,310 firefighters and ...
Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab):
Lab
It would be hard to criticise the Scottish Government's motion or the minister's sincere speech. However, I am sure the minister agrees that there are issues...
Nigel Don (North East Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
Like colleagues, I pay tribute to the work and dedication of the fire service. The untimely death of Ewan Williamson reminds us that some of the jobs that ar...
Stewart Maxwell:
SNP
I appreciate that we are in the early days and that there are not many statistics on the impact. We should not jump to conclusions too early, but it is certa...
Nigel Don:
SNP
That is my very point: we should not have to wait very long. After all, good ideas do not necessarily need to come with too many statistics attached. Althoug...
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab):
Lab
I am pleased to take part in this debate. Like other members, I pay tribute to Ewan Williamson, who gave his life serving his community.The motion and amendm...
Christina McKelvie (Central Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I add my condolences to those of my colleagues from throughout the Parliament to Ewan Williamson's family, friends and colleagues. I pay tribute to all our f...
Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab):
Lab
It is important to provide clarification that the point is not about firefighters enforcing the standards; it is about the services around them, and ensuring...