Member

That is why we must ensure that local fire services are not only consulted but properly resourced to assess and manage these risks. Any developer seeking to install large-scale solar must be required to engage with emergency services and contribute fairly to risk assessments and preparedness. That is what my amendment seeks to achieve. In Committee it was suggested that my amendment would place a new and unwelcome burden on the fire authority. That suggestion was straw-clutching from the Minister, because it is those organisations that have pressed me to act. This amendment would provide the safeguards they need in the fulfilment of their statutory duty. It would enforce the duty for an applicant for an energy storage facility and the local fire authority to fully assess the risks, including fire and public safety, and pay a reasonable fee to do so. Everyone can be forewarned and forearmed. Why would any Government wish to resist this?