Written question WQ100034
- Asked by
- Steve BaylissReform
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 5 days
Question
Will the Cabinet Minister outline the target date for implementing each of the nine HMICFRS recommendations that remain open following the cause of concern assessment of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service published on 29 July 2026, and what assessment has she made of the continuing cause for concern regarding risk assessment and strategic planning in South Wales Fire and Rescue Service?
Declared interest
I am a former employee.
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning (Siân Gwenllian)
Cabinet Ministers did not have sight of the findings of the HMICFRS assessment of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service before I issued my written statement of 13 July 2026. Neither Ministers nor officials saw HMICFRS’s full report before it was published on 29 July.
The Commissioners did however share an outline of HMICFRS’s end of assessment debrief with my officials in May. This information partly informed my decision to continue the intervention as set out in the advice from my officials released to you under Freedom of Information Requests ATISN 27232 and ATISN 27237.
Implementation of the HMICFRS findings is a matter for the Commissioners and South Wales Fire and Rescue Service. We do not hold information on whether the academics appointed by the Commissioners considered the HMICFRS findings in their work. Any publication of their report is a matter for those academics and South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
The criteria for ending the intervention will be based on the delivery of the Commissioners’ new terms of reference, a summary of which is published on the Welsh Government website.
South Wales Fire and Rescue Authority intervention | GOV.WALES
The Commissioners will report progress to me and advise me on when they assess that the organisation is resilient enough to continue its improvement journey under new governance arrangements. I will make my decision based on their advice and supporting evidence and will provide a statement to the Senedd at the appropriate time.