Scottish Government
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Bank fines to help Fire Service families

Fire Service Family Support Trust to benefit from £200,000 funding.

Money seized from bankers is set to benefit the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Family Support Trust by £200,000. 

The money, collected from fines issued to banks found to be falsely inflating or deflating rates, will now be used to help care for personnel and their dependents who are injured, suffer ill-health or are bereaved as a result of their service for the public.

The Minister for Community Safety Paul Wheelhouse announced the funding as he visited Falkirk Fire Station to meet with frontline fire officers and representatives from the SFRS Family Support Trust.

Mr Wheelhouse said:

“The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service does an outstanding job often under difficult and challenging circumstances and our fire fighters face unknown dangers each time they are called out. It is fitting that this money collected from banks, which have behaved so recklessly will now benefit such a worthy cause.

“This £200,000 will make a significant difference to the services that the SFRS Family Support Trust can offer, enabling it to become a national body far quicker than it would otherwise.”

The SFRS Family Support Trust offers financial and practical support in times of greatest need to fire service personnel and their families. It offers assistance in the form of bereavement grants, hardship assistance grants, children’s investment trust and the beneficiary Christmas grant.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Family Support Trust was originally established in the West of Scotland but is now extending its reach across the whole of Scotland.

This £200,000 will specifically be used to roll out the Trusts’ services to firefighters and their families across Scotland.

SFRS Family Support Trust Chairperson Iain Morris said:

“We are really delighted to receive this grant award from the Scottish Government. It is both a massive boost for our Service Charity and a recognition and endorsement of our valuable work and long history in the West of Scotland.

“The grant will provide us with the catalyst we need to develop our exciting plans and provide our charitable services for personnel in the East and North Service areas. We are very proud of our unique partnership with SFRS and we are dedicated to helping serving and retired fire personnel and their families at times of greatest need, including injury, illness and bereavement, throughout the whole of Scotland.

“I would particularly like to take this opportunity, on behalf of Charity Trustees, to formally thank Mr Wheelhouse and all at Scottish Government and also the Chair of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Board, Mr Pat Watters and our Chief Officer, Mr Alasdair Hay, for their continued and generous support.”

Notes To Editors

The £200,000 comes from London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) fines imposed by the UK Government when some banks falsely inflated or deflated their rates to profit from trades, or to give the impression that they were more creditworthy than they were.

The SFRS Family Support Trust was established in 1923 to assist fire service personnel and their families. The Trust relies on voluntary donations and contributions through the service’s employee payroll giving scheme.

 

Channel website: http://www.gov.scot/

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