To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to her Department’s Fire and Rescue Service: Operational Statistics Bulletin for England, December 2008, for what reasons Merseyside Fire Authority has more retained firefighters than retained firefighter posts. (270246)

The figure published for the number of retained firefighter posts in Merseyside fire and rescue service was incorrect, and should have been 185 units of 24-hour cover at 31 March 2008. The relevant table in the Operational Statistics Bulletin will be republished on the Department’s website with the figures corrected.