Fire Service Retirement (Ill Health)
Philip Dunne highlights problems faced by retained firefighters who are injured on duty and become unfit for firefighting - and possibly unfit to continue in their outside line of work.
Mr. Philip Dunne (Ludlow) (Con): I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing the important debate. Does he appreciate that his point applies not only to fully employed members of the fire service, but, critically, to retained officers, many of whom act voluntarily with limited financial remuneration and have another job outside the service? In the event of their being injured on active duty, as many might be when fighting fire, they would lose not only their previous entitlement to a full pension but probably their main source of employment. Consequently, they would become destitute. In my constituency, where we do not have a single fully paid fireman-they are all retained-there is a serious risk of the provision of the pension scheme to which the hon. Gentleman refers leading to resignations that would put the public at risk.
Mr. Heppell: I thought, for a moment, that the hon. Gentleman would talk me out!
I agree with the hon. Gentleman that there is a serious problem with retained firemen. There is a case in my constituency of a retained firefighter who is in the position that he outlined.
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Mr. Dunne: Will the Minister provide a similar assurance in respect of retained officers?
Mr. Dhanda: I have had discussions with the Retained Firefighters Union and a different set of issues applies-particularly primary employment, to which the hon. Gentleman alluded. Those firefighters are also affected by what I have just said. I hope that I have clarified the position, but let me say it again in order to be doubly certain for the record. Let me reassure my hon. Friend and the House again that it was never the intention of the Government that a firefighter who is injured should not receive an appropriate award or be left with no job or recompense. That is important, but I think that we can go still further.
