Fire and Rescue Framework

The debate has been constructive and many useful points have been raised that I hope the minister will address in his summing-up speech. We have had significant contributions, such as that from Paul Martin, who raised valid points about fairness and the need to tackle the currently fragmented approach to discipline and grievance procedures in the employing services. Robert Brown stated that we need greater clarity on the division of responsibility. He and Stewart Maxwell mentioned the inspection requirements under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005. I would particularly appreciate the minister's response on that. Stewart Maxwell spoke well about his campaign to ensure that only RIP cigarettes are sold in Scotland. I will certainly pay more heed to his campaigning from now on. Peter Peacock, who was, as ever, succinct and to the point, asked for more detail on water rescue and on the training and resources that will be needed for the implementation of the Tomkins report. Cathie Craigie spoke about the need for continuous training to a national standard. She and Angela Constance talked about the need to maintain front-line services. I hope that the minister will pick up on those points.

The minister opened the debate by paying tribute to Ewan Williamson from Edinburgh, who died in the line of duty. We all associate ourselves with the minister's sentiments, which have been echoed by all speakers.

The Liberal Democrats recognise the vital work of fire and rescue services throughout Scotland, including the contribution of the firefighters in the retained duty system, who provide a flexible and cost-effective community service, particularly in rural, remote and island parts of Scotland. We support local flexibility in service delivery, but we note the concerns of the FBU, which is calling for clear and enforceable standards and clear responsibilities. We therefore believe that the fire and rescue advisory unit and the ministerial advisory group must work effectively with fire and rescue authorities to deliver compliance within agreed and consistent objectives under the national framework.

Our amendment highlights the role of retained firefighters, which many members have mentioned. My region of North East Scotland is covered by Tayside Fire and Rescue and Grampian Fire and Rescue Service. Grampian has 33 retained fire stations and only three full-time ones. Tayside has 24 stations, of which three are volunteer and four are whole time, with the other 17 being retained. They provide fire and rescue services to a region that has busy industrial harbours, major oil and gas terminals, and the busiest heliport in the country. We also have two major hospital campuses, including the biggest single-site hospital in Europe.

Retained firefighters provide fire cover for at least 90 per cent of the landmass of Scotland, which is no mean feat. I must also mention volunteer firefighters, who work at remote stations. Tayside has three stations that are operated by volunteers, at Kinloch Rannoch, Glenshee and Kirkmichael. Those volunteers show an exceptional level of commitment, for which I thank them.

As the minister said, the framework recognises the changing role of the fire and rescue service. We now have a modern service that is about much more than firefighting: it is a comprehensive fire and rescue service, which, as the minister rightly said, puts prevention on a par with intervention. The service attends car crashes, flooding incidents and landslips, and carries out a lot of prevention work in the form of home safety visits and school work.

As the Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson, I am increasingly aware that, certainly in my area, firefighters' time is taken up with responding to road traffic incidents. I therefore welcome the framework's focus on reducing death and injury caused by road traffic accidents. It is telling that, as we debate the issue, the Chief Fire Officers Association is hosting a major conference in Glasgow to explore the unique role of the fire and rescue service in reducing the appalling effects of road traffic collisions.

The minister spoke about co-operation and partnership. I will highlight an example from my region. Road safety Grampian is a pioneering partnership with Grampian Police in which three members of fire service staff are based permanently at Nelson Street police office in Aberdeen. Those staff members are part of Grampian fire and rescue service's risk reduction unit that is managed by community safety and is under the overall control of central support services. The unit has crew managers, police officers and support staff working together in the same base. The ultimate target of the partnership is to contribute to the key strategic objective on which we just touched-reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries caused by road traffic collisions.

We heard this morning that the fire and rescue service has to deal with a sometimes hostile public, with at least 200 attacks a year, which is an appalling number. Paul Martin and Elaine Smith rightly highlighted the dangers of attacks and, indeed, the need for legal protection.

I will touch on something that is highlighted in the framework but which no one has mentioned this morning. Changing societal norms mean that duty systems that were developed over the past century do not necessarily meet the needs of 21st century families and communities. If we are to cope with the projected increase in retirements and also have a diverse and representative fire and rescue service, the service will need to monitor carefully recruitment and retention, and develop initiatives to recruit the next generation of firefighters.

We will support the motion and Labour's amendment. In closing, I pay tribute to the sterling work that our fire and rescue service provides-a service that my colleague Robert Brown defined rightly as one of compassionate competence. I urge the Government to ensure that the national framework provides only strategic guidance, encourages appropriate enforceable national standards and at all times ensures that we respect local autonomy.