DIABETES AND THE FIRE SERVICE

That this House welcomes the launch of the Diabetes and the Fire Service: Survey Report, which investigates recruitment and retention practices with regard to people with diabetes in the Fire Service; notes that since the extension to the Disability Discrimination Act in October 2004 people with diabetes are protected from discrimation in the emergency services; notes that well-controlled diabetes is not a bar to working in hazardous occupations such as the Fire Service; further notes that individual medical assessment is the best method of ascertaining fitness to work; welcomes the main findings of the report that there is widespread recognition of the need to treat all cases individually; notes with regret that there are still variations in recruitment practice across fire and rescue services; and calls on the Government to promote good practice in order to apply it consistently across the UK.