Black watch - Last Shout

Of course there was always a degree of Cabinet control as well as the ever-present Treasury fist on the purse strings (they only use their fingers to count). But at least Ministers were allowed to strut their stuff, conveying messages to the masses.

No longer--and not simply because of Scottish and Welsh devolutionary moves. A recent diagram has revealed the power of the Cabinet Office. Listen to Dr Tony Wright MP, Labour Chairman of the Commons Public Administration Select Committee: "What it [the diagram] confirms is that there is a Prime Minister's capacity to drive policy from the centre"

The wish for such a body is not new. Past PMs have fretted at the snail's pace performance of civil servants. Mrs Thatcher often swung her handbag about to encourage greater movement, but even for her, with limited success.

What has all this to do with fire? Quite a lot since this central power house is now deciding how they deal with a pledge to sharpen up our fire safety acts.

Not a key issue, of course, in contrast to limping trains and even more limping patients, but better achieved ahead of the next election. Which means is should be centrally driven, not allowed to drift through the dear old DTLR.

There must, of course, be some consultation procedure. This is entirely right. Stakeholders can express their views through the admirable Fire Safety Advisory Board but others should be allowed a contribution.

If these external views are set to be concluded in, say, a year or less, then so too will the FSAB detailed programme of changes be expected rapidly to complete its task.

So let us anticipate a powerful Regulatory Reform vome, rather than any DTLR Minister, to be setting the pace in this crucial exercise. Better that way if it achieves the result on time.

But will it be the right result? Suppose the construction industry cries out against so-called constraints and higher costs resulting from the need to build fire safer premises?

Imagine them then being supported by groups such as the CBI crying out against employers needing to engage in proper risk assessment, with fire officers ensuring they must do so.

The fire safety industry needs to prepare itself now for such pressures being brought to bear upon a Cabinet Office only too keen to listen to a widespread voters' voice.

An example now exists on how this should be done--the Parliamentary Seminar recently reported in FIRE. This ensured that more than half the audience were senior local authority housing officers.

Let us hope more of the same can be in prospect.

The views in this column are the writer's and do not necessarily reflect on FIRE's own

COPYRIGHT 2003 DMG World Media Ltd.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group