Views
Protecting the fire service from EU rules - for The Inverness Courier
RETAINED fire fighters play a vitally important role in protecting communities across the Highlands.
Fire cover in every community, apart from the main fire station in Inverness, is provided by retained firefighters, people very often with full time jobs on top of the commitment they make to the fire service.
This system has worked very well over the years, and indeed is the only realistic way to provide fire cover in a large and very dispersed area such as the Highlands and Islands. All of the retained fire fighters I have met make this commitment — which includes weekly training as well as call-outs — because they want to help their communities. Un-fortunately, a decision taken by the European Parliament puts this role at risk. There is a debate going about at an EU level about working hours rules — spurred by the fact that some unscrupulous employers have abused the fact that staff can opt-out of the rules.
EU governments put forward a proposal to modify the way the opt-out works to offer greater protection to workers. Unfortunately, MEPs decided that the opt-out should be dropped altogether. That would mean that it would be impossible for someone with a job to also work as a retained firefighter — they could not be on call.
Next week, there will be a debate in the House of Commons on this issue. Last week, I was in Brussels and met UK government officials to discuss how this can be resolved in a way that protects our communities.
The good news is that no final decision has been made yet. Because governments and MEPs have taken different views, there will now be a negotiation between the two. So there is a good chance that through conciliation we can resolve the mess which the European Parliament has created.
UK Government officials are clear that the fire service cannot operate in areas like the Highlands without the huge contribution which retained firefighters make. Keeping the flexibility which they need must be non-negotiable when further talks take place. UK government ministers need to hold their nerve on this one, and MEPs need to be persuaded to show more flexibility. As other EU countries have very similar systems of fire cover, some concerted action in other countries would really help.
Our emergency services need flexibility to function in an area like the Highlands, and there is ample scope to work with staff to agree how that can be achieved. Their remarkable contribution should be celebrated, not under-mined by heavy-handed regulation.
JOBCENTRE SERVICES
This week I have called a debate in the House of Commons on JobCentre services in the Highlands and Islands. I know how hard local JobCentre staff work to help people find jobs, but as unemployment rises the government needs to be ready to offer greater support to them.
There are clearly problems at the centralised call-centre in Clydebank that is now the only route through which individuals can claim benefit. Some constituents have reported to me that it can be hard to get through on the phone, and when you do it takes far too long to process the claim and get money flowing.
If someone has the misfortune to lose their job – as sadly many people will — then we need to make sure that the financial support that we offer is available as soon as possible. I would also like to see more flexibility in the range of locations where jobcentre plus staff are able to meet people and offer advice and support to get a new job. Last week, ministers showed support for this in principle — I will use my debate to press for more concrete commitments for Highland communities.
Posted on: 10/02/2009
