Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006

rose to move, That the Grand Committee do report to the House that it has considered the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006. The noble Lord said: The Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 would introduce provisions broadly reflecting the legislative changes made in England and Wales, through the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and in Scotland, through the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005. Its purpose is to give the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service a clear set of statutory responsibilities, with a greater emphasis on fire prevention and community safety, including revisions to fire safety legislation. It will also introduce statutory protection against attack for firefighters carrying out their duties. This new legislation follows consideration of the responses to the policy consultation held in 2004, which in turn was based on the findings of the independent quinquennial review of the Fire Authority for Northern Ireland and the report of the Bain review on the future of the UK fire service. The draft order provides for the establishment of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Board, and sets out the board’s statutory duties and powers, in addition to those of the sponsor department, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. Current legislation requires the service to fight fires and protect property from fire. The draft order will give a statutory basis for core duties that have not previously been given legal effect, such as promoting fire safety and responding to road traffic accidents and other emergencies. While the service is actively involved in these activities at present, the draft order acknowledges this by giving it a statutory basis for this excellent work. Attacks on firefighters and the activating of false alarms are reprehensible. We are not prepared to tolerate such mindless actions and intend to ensure that those people who think it is acceptable to endanger the lives of firefighters or the public are punished. Firefighters work to protect us and we want to ensure that they are given every protection while they work. This draft order will legislate against such actions and in so doing will help to protect firefighters while carrying out their duties. The legislation will bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK in terms of the introduction of new fire safety requirements, placing the onus for fire safety on the owners or responsible persons in commercial premises. The responses to the consultations on the policy and on the draft order indicated general acceptance and support for the proposed legislation. All agreed that this was an important and welcome piece of legislation both for the service and for the Northern Ireland public. During the consultation some concern was expressed at the reduced size and the composition of the Fire and Rescue Service Board, and associated with this, an issue was raised regarding democratic accountability. Those issues will be addressed in the context of the Review of Public Administration and the Government’s decision, announced in March—last month—to transfer responsibility for the service to local government, as a shared operational service between all the new seven councils. However, as this transfer to local government is not likely to take place until 2009, it is necessary to proceed with this legislation to allow the service to introduce these essential reforms without delay. The issue of the future composition of the board will be addressed either via the legislation transferring functions to local government or by way of separate amending legislation. The Government are committed to supporting the Fire and Rescue Service in Northern Ireland by the introduction of this legislation and in so doing our aim is to provide frontline firefighters with the legislation, policies and protection they need to continue and to develop their essential work. I beg to move. Moved, That the Grand Committee do report to the House that it has considered the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006.—(Lord Rooker.)