Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the feasibility of the fire service supporting the ambulance service in moving and handling people safely.

We want collaboration between the emergency services to go further and faster.

To this end we have introduced a statutory collaboration duty on police, fire and emergency ambulance services. Collaborative working is also supported by the Fire and Rescue National Framework for England and the Home Office intends to shortly publish a fire reform white paper which will provide and explore the role that services can play in partnership.

I am pleased that during the COVID-19 pandemic the fire and rescue service showed that it was able to support the Ambulance service response including by driving ambulances.