Fire Service (Somerset)

Mr. Flook
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many man hours have been lost in the Somerset Fire Service as a result of strike action in the past 12 months. [111657]

Mr. Raynsford
Information on the exact number of man-hours lost in the Somerset Fire Service due to strike action is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.However, there are two shifts in a 24-hour period. Twenty shifts were severely affected by strike action by members of the Fire Brigades Union in November 2002, six in January 2003 and four in February 2003.