Opposition Sleight-of-Brain on Fire Service Bill

Parliament was treated to some extremely strange leaps of the imagination among Opposition members during debate on the Fire Service Amendment Bill today, Internal Affairs Minister Jack Elder said.

"The misleading claims made in the House by members of Labour, the Alliance and United were based in equal measure on ignorance and abuse," Mr Elder said.

"The Bill does not reduce the Fire Service budget, it does not change its operations or establishment, and it does not reduce its accountability to Parliament."

"To predict the end of the New Zealand Fire Service on the basis of no reduction of its operating budget defies even the Opposition's usual intellectual meanderings."

Labour speaker Trevor Mallard told Parliament that individual fire stations and fire engines would be mortgaged under the Bill.

"Trouble is, its not true. The Fire Service has always had the ability to borrow from banks. Until now, they had to go through the Government Loans Board, but the Board was not the lender: the Fire Service borrowed from Labour's dreaded commercial banks.

"With the abolition of the Loans Board later this year, the Bill merely gives the Fire Service the legal ability to continue what it has been doing for years - borrow from banks if needed. There is absolutely no truth to the half-witted claims fire engines will be mortgaged and repossessed on their way to fires."

"As I stated in December when the ending of the Crown grant was announced, the reason for the change was that historically Government buildings such as schools were not insured, and thus no Fire Service levy was being paid for Fire Service cover.

"To recognise this, the direct Crown grant to the Fire Service was instituted.

"This has long-since changed, and all 2367 state schools all have their lands and buildings insured by the Ministry of Education, and the Fire Service levy is paid. Contents are required to be insured by the school."

While the Housing Corporation carries its own insurance, it makes a direct grant to the Fire Service for coverage, and the Department of Conservation makes a similar grant for rural fire coverage.

Former Minister Peter Dunne's self-righteous puffery on a claimed removal of parliamentary accountability was equally way off-target, Mr Elder said.

"Even with the Internal Affairs Select Committee not having the need to consider the Crown grant in the future, there will be plenty of opportunities to debate the Fire Service as part of Parliament's annual financial cycle."

The Financial Review of the Fire Service provides ample opportunity for Parliament to debate its operations, and in addition, the Fire Service's annual Statement of Intent and Annual Report must be tabled in the House, Mr Elder said.

"The accuracy of Alliance spokesman Grant Gillon's comments should not be dignified with a response considering his claim this morning that the Fire Service would be run down like the Police, 'and there are hardly any Police left."

"Since there is now the highest ever level of Police staff, and the highest ever Police budget, Mr Gillon appears determined to not let reality cloud his judgement."