Emergency services collaboration Inspection of fire and rescue services
Powers for the inspection of fire and rescue authorities are provided for in section 28 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. However, the inspection powers in the 2004 Act are currently dormant. Instead, fire and rescue authorities rely on a system of peer review, whereby an FRA can commission a 'Fire Peer Challenge', under a framework developed by the Local Government Association and Chief Fire Officers Association.
	The Home Secretary, in her speech at a Reform event on 24 May 2016, announced her intention of creating a robust inspection framework for fire and rescue. She said:
	"To help fire and rescue authorities and PCCs hold their service to account and to drive closer scrutiny by taxpayers and communities, I intend to bring forward proposals to establish a rigorous and independent inspection regime for fire and rescue in England. I will shortly table amendments to the Policing and Crime Bill to strengthen the inspection powers in the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 to put beyond doubt the powers of fire inspectors to enter premises and access information, and to ensure the Government has the power to commission inspections of particular issues or fire and rescue services. Because it is only by understanding problems and holding services accountable that we can begin to fix them."
	The changes are intended to create an inspection framework similar to the current framework for police forces. Chapter 4 of Part 1 gives effect to these changes.