Fire Services

Mr. Drew
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when each regional fire control room will be fully functional; when rent became or will become payable on each regional control room; and what estimate he has made of the rental cost of each regional fire control room over the full period of its lease.

Mr. Malik
Under current planning assumptions the first regional fire control rooms are expected to become operational in spring 2011 and the last Fire and Rescue Service will switch over by the end of 2012.

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|Regional control centre |Go live date  |
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|South West              |May 2011      |
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|East Midlands           |May 2011      |
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|North East              |May 2011      |
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|West Midlands           |May 2011      |
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|North West              |January 2012  |
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|South East              |March 2012    |
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|Yorkshire and Humberside|July 2012     |
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|East of England         |September 2011|
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|London                  |September 2011|
-----------------------------------------


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                        |Rent commencement date|Estimated rent over full period of lease (£)|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|North East              |13 April 2008         |28,237,658.85                               |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|East Midlands           |20 January 2008       |38,630,926.87                               |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|South West              |15 February 2008      |29,178,474.41                               |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|West Midlands           |14 October 2008       |43,592,098.37                               |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|South East              |14 November 2008      |46,337,023.37                               |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|North West              |1 January 2009        |38,282,659.67                               |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Yorkshire and Humberside|16 April 2009         |27,177,839.88                               |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|East of England         |22 April 2009         |43,395,258.72                               |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|London                  |26 November 2010      |77,656,287.37                               |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr. Drew
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date each regional fire control room lease expires; and what steps he has taken to ensure the continuation of a national network on expiry of the leases.

Mr. Malik
The date on which each Regional Control Centre lease is due to expire are:

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|Region                  |End date of Lease|
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|North East              |28 June 2027     |
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|East Midlands           |28 June 2032     |
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|South West              |14 August 2027   |
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|West Midlands           |19 December 2032 |
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|South East              |13 May 2033      |
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|North West              |30 June 2033     |
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|Yorkshire and Humberside|30 June 2028     |
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|East of England         |30 September 2033|
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|London                  |25 February 2034 |
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Decisions would need to be taken well in advance of lease expiry under the Landlord and Tennant Act.