Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) trends in the number of firefighters and (b) levels of funding for fire and rescue services on public safety.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 3 February, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS) which sets out funding allocations for all local authorities, including Fire and Rescue Authorities.
These allocations, which include the National Insurance Contribution Grant, will see standalone fire and rescue authorities receiving an increase in core spending power of £69.1 million in 2025/26. This is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25.
In addition to settlement funding, the Government has provided Fire and Rescue Authorities with several grants intended for specific purposes, such as the Fire Pensions Grant and Protection Uplift Grant
Decisions on how their resources are best deployed to meet their core functions are a matter for each Fire and Rescue Authority.
FRSs employed 30,769 full-time equivalent (FTE) firefighters on 31 March 2024. This is virtually unchanged compared with the previous year (30,723).
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with (a) Hertfordshire County Council and (b) the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service on safety at Traveller sites in the context of the fire at Redbourn’s Ver Meadows Travellers site on 12 July 2025.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government continues to be updated on the recovery plan following the incident via the Recovery Coordinating Group (RCG) which includes representatives from Hertfordshire County Council, St Albans District Council and the fire and rescue service.
An independent fire investigation, requested by Hertfordshire County Council, will be shared in due course, and we will carefully consider any findings.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to support firefighters suffering from long-term health effects caused by their work.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The health and safety of firefighters is of paramount importance. Fire and rescue authorities, as employers, must take action to protect firefighter physical and mental health, this includes ensuring that firefighters receive the appropriate equipment and training they need. The Government continues to work closely with key partners, including the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and Health and Safety executive (HSE), to monitor emerging risks, share best practice, and advocate for the highest standards in firefighter health and wellbeing.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the concerns expressed by the National Fire Chief's Council (NFCC's) regarding the safety of the public and of firefighters; and what assessment they have made of the NFCC's analysis, published on 4 June, showing a 20 per cent increase in the number of incidents attended by the fire and rescue service over the last decade.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I am replying as a minister in the department that now holds policy responsibility for fire and rescue. It is the government’s priority to ensure the safety of both the public and of our firefighters. We are grateful to the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) for highlighting the 20 per cent increase in the number of incidents attended by the fire and rescue service over the last decade, which we recognise was drawn from the quarterly statistics published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fire-and-rescue-incident-statistics-year-ending-december-2024).
We recognise that the data covers callouts relating to fire, non-fire and false alarms. We intend to discuss this in further detail with the NFCC.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to ensure the (a) safe and (b) smooth passage of vessels along the Thames during (i) Henley Royal Regatta week and (ii) other events which attract international visitors to the town.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As the navigation authority for the non-tidal River Thames, the Environment Agency (EA) plays a key role in supporting the safe and successful delivery of over 200 river-based events each year. These events contribute significantly to the cultural heritage and public enjoyment of the River Thames, while the EA remains committed to upholding the public right of navigation and ensuring the river remains open to traffic.
The EA has a long-standing and constructive relationship with the event organisers of Henley Royal Regatta. Working together, they’ve developed and implemented local navigation measures that provide a dedicated racing lane for competition and a separate channel for passing vessels. This approach ensures that competitors, commercial operators, and leisure users can all share the river safely and effectively throughout the event.
The EA also maintains a visible presence on-the-water during the Regatta, working closely with professional partners including Thames Valley Police and Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. This coordinated effort helps to ensure compliance with navigation rules and supports the safety of all river users. Drawing on all its operational experience, the EA is confident that this year’s Henley Royal Regatta, along with all other events along the Thames, will proceed smoothly and safely.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to standardise the approval process for battery safety management plans across local planning authorities.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
National planning policy and guidance clearly considers safety aspects of a proposed energy development, with expectations set out early for applicants to submit supporting information with their application for the proposed development.
The overarching National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1) sets out the role of the Health and Safety Executive as a statutory consultee in the planning system as well as how the Secretary of State should account for safety concerns in their decision making.
The government updated its Planning Practice Guidance (August 2023) to encourage battery storage developers to engage with Local Fire and Rescue Services before submitting a planning application. National Fire Chiefs guidance sets out how risks should be identified early on in the design process. Local authorities are consulted by applicants and can engage in the Development Consent Order process formally through relevant representations, local impact reports or through hearings at examination.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to review the development consent order process for solar projects to increase local authority input on battery storage safety.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
National planning policy and guidance clearly considers safety aspects of a proposed energy development, with expectations set out early for applicants to submit supporting information with their application for the proposed development.
The overarching National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1) sets out the role of the Health and Safety Executive as a statutory consultee in the planning system as well as how the Secretary of State should account for safety concerns in their decision making.
The government updated its Planning Practice Guidance (August 2023) to encourage battery storage developers to engage with Local Fire and Rescue Services before submitting a planning application. National Fire Chiefs guidance sets out how risks should be identified early on in the design process. Local authorities are consulted by applicants and can engage in the Development Consent Order process formally through relevant representations, local impact reports or through hearings at examination.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what meetings she has had with the Fire Brigades Union since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The fire and rescue policy function transferred from the Home Office to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 01 April 2025.
The government is proactively engaging with the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) alongside other fire and rescue sector stakeholders both at Ministerial and at official level. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Building Safety, Fire and Local Growth has met with the FBU on several occasions and addressed the FBU spring conference.
The FBU are also members of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Fire and Rescue Reform (MAGFRR) which has been established under this government and has met twice. The MAGFRR brings together key fire and rescue sector leaders to discuss policy and key issues.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to inform members of the public about safety measures to take where a wildfire warning is in place, in particular to prevent the use of open fires such as barbecues.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Fire and rescue services (FRSs) have a statutory duty to promote fire safety within their areas. Where they identify the use of open fires and barbecues as a fire risk, such as when a wildfire warning is in place, Government would expect FRSs to promote relevant fire safety messages within their communities.
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Fire Kills campaign works closely with the National Fire Chiefs Council to support FRSs to promote such messaging. The Government encourages the public to follow this advice, in addition to that of their local authority and landowners.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of new fire safety regulations on the workload of fire and rescue services.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 are the main changes made to fire safety legislation in recent years, and both were subject to impact assessments which were published at the time of their introduction.
We are providing £10 million Protection Uplift Grant to Fire and Rescue Services for 2025/26, with £5 million allocated for the first six months and a further £5 million to be confirmed later in the year. The Protection Uplift grant is ringfenced to fire protection and is used to bolster capability and capacity in protection departments.
Decisions on future funding to Fire and Rescue Services to support the work of the Building Safety Regulator are under consideration and yet to be confirmed.
Additionally, MHCLG’s Remediation Acceleration Plan sets out the Government’s intent to legislate to place stronger duties on landlords, including creating a legal duty on those responsible for buildings 11m and over to remediate their buildings within clear timescales, supplemented by further powers for regulators, including Fire and Rescue Authorities, to enforce. An impact assessment of any new legislation will be produced and published alongside this to capture the likely impact of the change including regulatory burden.