To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to encourage more (a) women and (b) ethnic minority candidates to apply to join the Fire Service; what questions are asked of applicants to assess commitment to equality and diversity; what measures she has put in place to ensure more (i) women and (ii) ethnic minority staff have access to senior positions; what targets have been set for representative numbers of women and ethnic minorities within the whole service; and if she will make a statement. (77424)

The Fire and Rescue National Framework set out the Government's commitment to achieve greater diversity within the fire and rescue service. We are supporting the service to build a more diverse work force, including women, ethnic minorities and other under-represented groups.

On 16 May I announced the launch of a national awareness raising advertising campaign aimed specifically at women to encourage them to consider a career as a firefighter. We have developed national firefighter selection tests with the aim of ensuring fairness and consistency in selection procedures across the service. The new process will require all applicants to be asked to demonstrate their commitment to equality and diversity in their responses to questions at the application form, written test and interview stages. These are designed to identify that they understand and respect diversity and have a fair and ethical approach to others.

The repeal of the Fire Services (Appointments and Promotion) Regulations in October 2004 has enabled people to apply to join the fire and rescue service at any level in the organisation, including strategic management. In addition, recruitment, retention and career progression targets for women and ethnic minority staff have been set for every fire and rescue service.

The existing targets strategies have been reviewed and a new strategy will be published in 2006 following consultation with stakeholders.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Fire Services College charged each brigade in Scotland for providing (a) training courses and (b) access to the college's library and online information and development resources in each of the last 10 years. (76269)

Information on the provision of training and library services by the Fire Service College is only available for the past five years. The amount charged by the College to Scottish Fire and Rescue Services is as follows: