Legislation setting out Scottish Government plans for a single Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has now been agreed in principle by the Scottish Parliament.
The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Bill passed Stage 1 on May 10, and the legislation will continue its Parliamentary progress throughout May and June.
The Scottish Government will continue working closely with the Parliament, the current eight services and other key stakeholders on the transition to the new Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, which is expected to go live on April 1, 2013. A small leadership team will have an interim operating base at Perth Community Fire Station.
Work will now start to appoint the Chief Officer and the Chair and Members of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Board.
A single Scottish Fire and Rescue Service will:
• Protect and improve frontline services for local communities against the backdrop of severe budget reductions by the Westminster government;
• Keep communities safer by providing more equitable access across Scotland to specialist support, expertise and national capacity when it is needed;
• Strengthen the links between the fire and rescue service and the communities they serve; and
• Provide clearer national governance.
Key aspects of the Police and Fire Reform Bill (Scotland) 2012 include:
• Regular, formal opportunities for the Scottish Parliament to scrutinise fire and rescue services.
• Establishing the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service board to hold the Chief Officer to account.
• Transferring the current functions of fire and rescue authorities to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. All staff employed by the current eight fire and rescue authorities will transfer to the new service.
• A statutory duty for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to provide adequate local services.
• A designated local senior fire officer for each local authority area, responsible for involving the local authority in determining priorities and objectives for fire and rescue services in the local area.
• A local plan for fire and rescue services for each local authority area, agreed between the relevant local senior officer and the local authority, setting out priorities, objectives and arrangements for local service delivery.
• The creation of an Inspectorate of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
The Scottish Government is working with the fire and rescue services and other key stakeholders on the transition to the new structure.
The Cabinet Secretary for Justice has established a short life stakeholder Sounding Board, to facilitate direct engagement with key stakeholders as the Bill passes through Parliament. The group consists of Police, Fire and Rescue and Local Government stakeholders, and will meet during Stages 1, 2 and 3 of the Parliamentary process to consider key issues.
The first meeting considered matters raised during Stage 1 in Committee evidence sessions, with a particular focus on membership of the Scottish Police Authority and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Board and local scrutiny and engagement.
Click here to go to the Sounding Board page which includes minutes of meetings:
Further information
The Bill and its supporting documents are also available on the Scottish Parliament website.
Other background information:
• The Equality Impact Assessment;
• The Business Regulatory Impact Assessment;
• The consultation document published in September 2011;
• Independent report on the consultation analysis and summary report; and
• The consultation responses.
For further information please contact:
Police and Fire Reform Division
Scottish Government
Floor 1R
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG