To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the number of people employed in the fire service in Wales in each of the brigades. [38985]
The following table shows the establishment figures as at 1 January 1995 which have been taken from returns made by the brigades:
| Regular firefighters | Retained firefighters | Control room personnel | |
| Clwyd | 185 | 225 | 22 |
| Dyfed | 228 | 342 | 17 |
| Mid Glamorgan | 335 | 264 | 21 |
| South Glamorgan | 323 | 24 | 17 |
| West Glamorgan | 247 | 111 | 18 |
| Gwent | 286 | 189 | 20 |
| Gwynedd | 105 | 418 | 15 |
| Powys | 31 | 257 | 9 |
| Total | 1,740 | 1,830 | 139 |
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on response rates by the fire brigades in Wales. [38988]
The following table shows the average response time in minutes in respect of fire incidents, taken from when the brigade answered the first call to when the first fire appliances attended at the fireground:
| Brigade | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 |
| Clywd | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
| Dyfed | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| Gwent | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 |
| Gwynedd | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| Mid Glamorgan | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Powys | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 |
| South Glamorgan | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| West Glamorgan | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the annual budget for each fire brigade in Wales, in real terms, in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [38986]
The budgeted net current expenditure for the brigades concerned—at constant 1995–96 prices—is as follows:
| £ million | |||||
| 1991–92 | 1992–93 | 1993–94 | 1994–95 | 1995–96 | |
| Clwyd | 8.8 | 8.7 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 9.5 |
| Dyfed | 9.1 | 9.2 | 8.7 | 9.2 | 9.2 |
| Gwent | 11.7 | 11.3 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.4 |
| Gwynedd | 6.1 | 5.9 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 6.1 |
| Mid Glamorgan | 12.8 | 12.8 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 13.0 |
| Powys | 2.9 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.9 |
| South Glamorgan | 10.0 | 9.7 | 9.8 | 10.0 | 9.9 |
| West Glamorgan | 10.3 | 9.4 | 9.7 | 10.0 | 10.1 |