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20 Jun 2005 : Column 823W—continued

Fire Service

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many malicious false alarms were (a) registered and (b) attended by each fire authority in each year since 1997. [2447]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information is as follows:

(a) The number of malicious false alarm calls processed by fire and rescue service control room staff is not available centrally.

(b) The number of malicious fire false alarm calls attended by each fire and rescue service in England in each year from 1997–98 to 2003–04 is shown in the following table.
Malicious fire false alarms attended

Fire and rescue authority	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01
Avon	1,522	1,415	1,485	1,339
Bedfordshire	491	371	439	383
Berkshire	957	868	1,047	876
Buckinghamshire	752	433	540	454
Cambridgeshire	909	825	612	489
Cheshire	765	592	582	519
Cleveland	3,356	2,585	2,514	1,995
Cornwall	292	319	300	303
Cumbria	617	618	555	562
Derbyshire	1,165	1,008	1,099	865
Devon	1,072	993	886	905
Dorset	625	702	653	480
Durham	1,727	1,412	1,258	1,053
East Sussex	517	492	510	519
Essex	1,825	1,608	1,684	1,778
Gloucestershire	441	385	256	191
Greater London	13,814	12,991	12,638	11,661
Greater Manchester	7,890	6,488	6,547	5,885
Hampshire	653	607	638	719
Hereford and Worcester	498	466	516	438
Hertfordshire	653	521	511	574
Humberside	1,537	1,058	941	988
Isle of Wight	87	118	91	76
Isles of Scilly	2	0	0	0
Kent	1,673	1,522	1,370	1,397
Lancashire	1,652	1,317	1,444	1,357
Leicestershire	1,121	914	882	687
Lincolnshire	453	361	360	317
Merseyside	4,282	3,248	3,632	2,726
Norfolk	316	242	310	305
North Yorkshire	429	389	346	340
Northamptonshire	481	417	438	494
Northumberland	360	300	247	251
Nottinghamshire	1,268	1,017	1,106	862
Oxfordshire(55)	602	589	580	490
Shropshire	308	485	296	255
Somerset	229	247	230	208
South Yorkshire	3,595	3,331	3,172	2,779
Staffordshire	875	863	874	840
Suffolk	444	346	374	366
Surrey	790	587	611	512
Tyne and Wear	2,971	2,490	1,694	1,257
Warwickshire	564	334	259	299
West Midlands	9,216	7,834	8,089	5,233
West Sussex	675	618	569	443
West Yorkshire	7,063	2,961	2,757	2,681
Wiltshire	445	421	544	558
England	81,979	67,708	66,486	57,709

 
20 Jun 2005 : Column 825W
 

Fire and rescue authority	2001–02	2002–03(53)	2003–04(54)
Avon	1,444	1,529	1,433
Bedfordshire	453	327	362
Berkshire	962	712	625
Buckinghamshire	468	380	356
Cambridgeshire	457	381	360
Cheshire	583	598	578
Cleveland	1,734	1,381	480
Cornwall	241	213	1–71
Cumbria	534	613	286
Derbyshire	767	710	629
Devon	111	720	613
Dorset	468	414	328
Durham	1,089	952	599
East Sussex	564	477	511
Essex	1,991	2,052	1,687
Gloucestershire	151	150	145
Greater London	12,347	10,448	9,858
Greater Manchester	6,262	5,745	5,172
Hampshire	812	794	796
Hereford and Worcester	500	349	350
Hertfordshire	736	607	372
Humberside	973	865	695
Isle of Wight	91	78	59
Isles of Scilly	3	2	0
Kent	1,499	1,312	1,099
Lancashire	1,523	1,390	1,377
Leicestershire	750	641	564
Lincolnshire	400	555	535
Merseyside	2,310	2,305	2,365
Norfolk	304	301	263
North Yorkshire	357	346	321
Northamptonshire	378	423	371
Northumberland	261	245	201
Nottinghamshire	880	799	715
Oxfordshire(55)	412	288	171
Shropshire	320	290	199
Somerset	237	249	237
South Yorkshire	2,873	2,610	2,018
Staffordshire	870	845	629
Suffolk	472	390	342
Surrey	484	411	425
Tyne and Wear	1,261	1,039	987
Warwickshire	196	370	179
West Midlands	5,176	4,385	4,068
West Sussex	388	404	386
West Yorkshire	2,896	2,536	2,321
Wiltshire	199	165	165
England	58,853	52,796	46,403

⁽⁵³⁾Data include estimates for incidents not recorded during periods of national industrial action in 2002–03.
⁽⁵⁴⁾Provisional 2004 data.
⁽⁵⁵⁾Data for Oxfordshire for 2002–03 onwards are not directly comparable with previous years due to revised procedures in responding to an alarm.
Source:
Fire and Rescue Service FDR3 returns to ODPM




 
20 Jun 2005 : Column 826W
 

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many fires were attended by the Fire and Rescue Service where there was (a) no fire alarm and (b) a non-functioning fire alarm in each year since 1997. [2448]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of dwelling fires attended by the Fire and Rescue service in England where there was no smoke alarm or a non functioning smoke alarm is as follows:

	(a) No smoke alarm	(b) Smoke alarm did not operate
1997–98	41,218	3,819
1998–99	37,931	4,754
1999–00	37,633	5,259
2000–01	33,788	5,655
2001–02	32,824	5,976
2002–03(56)	29,971	5,350
2003–04(57)	27,995	5,535

⁽⁵⁶⁾Includes estimates for 15 strike days.
⁽⁵⁷⁾Provisional figures.
Note:
Figures derived from a grossed up 20 per cent. sample of fires attended.
Source:
Fire and Rescue service FDR1 returns to ODPM

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2005, Official Report, column 36W, on vehicle fires, if he will break down figures for the number of malicious vehicle fires by each year since 1997. [4522]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested for each year since 1997 is contained in the following table.
Deliberate road vehicle primary fires, by fire and rescue service area, 1997–2003

FRS Area	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Avon	887	1,158	1,669	2,057	2,540	2,233	1,868
Bedfordshire	512	533	727	964	865	987	745
Berkshire	509	561	720	865	944	743	638
Buckinghamshire	562	653	808	890	1,034	885	893
Cambridgeshire	504	537	827	880	813	1,054	978
Cheshire	432	567	619	667	947	1,010	939
Cleveland	571	755	1,125	1,207	1,484	1,737	1,421
Cornwall	178	162	169	237	310	360	364
Cumbria	301	344	372	430	380	418	412
Derbyshire	507	567	805	802	942	1,054	908
Devon	442	462	499	556	614	635	632
Dorset	285	317	401	493	587	536	516
Durham	508	657	732	749	751	843	807
East Sussex	455	520	716	882	919	862	708
Essex	649	724	961	1,559	1,741	1,647	1,556
Gloucestershire	265	256	290	353	464	547	554
Greater London	2,972	3,378	4,945	6,118	6,476	5,580	4,948
Greater Manchester	4,042	4,130	5,166	5,717	7,017	6,050	5,216
Hampshire	526	710	802	839	822	858	827
Hereford and Worcester	299	311	415	465	451	530	431
Hertfordshire	431	466	677	845	886	922	840
Humberside	722	902	1,186	1,092	1,379	1,753	2,098
Isle of Wight	22	10	21	19	49	45	36
Isles of Scilly	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kent	1,086	1,397	1,864	2,373	2,140	1,962	1,826
Lancashire	821	918	1,229	1,169	1,366	1,440	1,290
Leicestershire	752	819	1,075	1,063	1,168	1,214	941
Lincolnshire	263	364	373	421	474	586	590
Merseyside	1,569	1,838	2,568	3,124	3,476	3,523	3,486
Norfolk	411	436	489	696	738	758	720
North Yorkshire	255	252	384	450	553	594	528
Northamptonshire	550	632	763	941	955	1,075	1,067
Northumberland	271	236	327	309	373	362	395
Nottinghamshire	818	1,062	1,562	1,772	2,671	3,137	2,535
Oxfordshire	373	478	544	686	566	581	564
Shropshire	309	309	315	409	515	418	351
Somerset	226	248	374	411	513	625	502
South Yorkshire	1,562	1,901	2,254	2,125	2,383	3,166	3,137
Staffordshire	653	809	955	968	1,137	1,121	1,128
Suffolk	164	148	222	326	402	391	365
Surrey	329	381	508	636	659	721	703
Tyne and Wear	1,581	1,738	2,068	1,953	2,259	2,316	2,085
Warwickshire	343	397	461	511	569	685	622
West Midlands	3,044	3,110	4,154	4,423	4,834	4,775	4,330
West Sussex	238	291	389	435	538	487	501
West Yorkshire	2,875	3,491	4,169	4,817	6,170	6,684	5,708
Wiltshire	89	159	192	275	305	243	251

Note:
Data includes estimates for incidents not recorded during periods of national industrial action in 2002 and 2003.
Source:
Fire and Rescue Service FDR1 returns to ODPM.





 
20 Jun 2005 : Column 827W
 

Dr. Pugh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if the Government will introduce legislation to provide additional protection from harassment and attack to firefighters responding to emergency calls. [3984]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 makes it an offence to obstruct or interfere with an employee of a Fire and Rescue Authority. In addition there is a hierarchy of offences against the person where injury results. This goes from grievous bodily harm through actual bodily harm to common law offences of assault and battery, depending on the injuries inflicted. It is important that such incidents are reported to the police. During the passage of the Act the question of further provision was considered and we were not persuaded that it would assist.

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