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• Reference: 2014/4960
• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 05 November 2014

Can I invite you make a short opening statement before we move on to the questions which have been tabled?

• Reference: 2014/4104
• Question by: Stephen Knight
• Meeting date: 05 November 2014

How soon do you believe it will be necessary to start planning further operational cuts to London's fire brigade?

• Reference: 2014/4107
• Question by: Fiona Twycross
• Meeting date: 05 November 2014

Given the effects of LFEPA budgets since the Mayor was first elected in 2008, what impact will your 2015/16 budget have on fire and emergency planning in the capital?

• Question by: Len Duvall OBE
• Meeting date: 05 November 2014

Len Duvall AM: In terms of LSP5, you said we would do some ongoing monitoring post those decisions. You will recall on 23 February 2014 there was a fatality on what can only be described as the Woolwich Ground - that might not be right - when we removed an appliance from the area. In the subsequent fatal fire review, there were a number of issues in terms of the cause of the fire. At the time, there was a technical failure that contributed to that. In light of the recent information that we have now supplied around the implications...

• Question by: Fiona Twycross
• Meeting date: 05 November 2014

Fiona Twycross AM: I just wanted to go back to a point raised by Assembly Member Boff - even though he is obviously no longer in the room - just to say that the data we have looked at, as I said earlier, shows that over half of the wards in London have seen an increase in the time it has taken the first fire engine to reach an incident and this does appear to be in part due to the additional appliances being out of operation between the strike periods. Commissioner, I know that you have been in discussions...

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 05 November 2014

Valerie Shawcross CBE AM: Good morning. Just on a very specific issue, I was quite alarmed to see that the LFB may well have to pick up some of the bill for the additional pension costs for retained firefighters. I know this is a complex issue and it relates to an employment tribunal and I think we all agree that retained firefighters deserve a fair deal. However, it seems to me that the idea that the LFB ought to be paying the back pensions of retained firefighters when the London Fire Authority has never employed any retained firefighters, ever, does...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 05 November 2014

John Biggs AM: I wanted to explore further questions about the cost pressures within the budget. On the face of it, the Mayor is giving a guarantee about levels of funding. There is £389 million this year, £382 million next year and £382 million the year after that. He is also giving some assurances about compensating for further cuts in core grants. If the core grant goes down, the amount from City Hall goes up. He is also giving some advice and nudging you to do things by flogging buildings and cushioning your capital budgets and he has been very...

• Question by: Navin Shah
• Meeting date: 05 November 2014

Navin Shah AM: James, as everyone knows, London is facing a steep rise in its population for decades to come. If due to these demographic changes further fire services are required and having presided over extensive cuts, how do you think you will manage to improve and enhance fire services to meet those demographic challenges?

• Question by: Andrew Dismore
• Meeting date: 05 November 2014

Andrew Dismore AM: I want to ask you about the emergency fire crew contract. It is a clear example of market failure, is it not?

• Question by: Fiona Twycross
• Meeting date: 05 November 2014

Fiona Twycross AM: I just wanted to talk a little bit more about the cost of the strike, which you raised. In terms of the current wave of strikes, would you agree with me that the approach taken by the Fire Minister in private, in public and in writing suggesting that a new deal was on the table has been extremely unhelpful and prolonged the strike action and the cost of the strike action?