Whether there has been a review of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and, if not, whether it plans to undertake one.

The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 came into force in April 2005. Supporting regulations for part 3 of the act, The Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006, came into force in October 2006 and guidance has been developed and issued progressively culminating with the publication of Practical Fire safety Guidance for Healthcare Premises in January 2008. As this is new legislation which is currently bedding in, no review of the Act has been undertaken and we have no plans to commission one at this time. However, under section 40 of the act, Scottish ministers are required to prepare a Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland and keep the document under review. In my answer to S3W-7926 on 18 December 2007, I confirmed that we are working with the fire and rescue authorities and the unions to review the existing framework. This work is progressing well and will in due course set out agreed priorities and objectives for fire and rescue authorities in a manner consistent with the government''s new partnership with local government.
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