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Fire Prevention

Volume 489: debated on Tuesday 10 March 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to her Department’s Fire and Resilience Research Programme for 2008, whether she plans to commission a longitudinal study of the effects of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005; and if she will make a statement. (261738)

An initial evaluation of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 will be published shortly. This will provide a basis for a future, longer-term evaluation planned and serve as a baseline against which to consider the impact and effectiveness of the order over time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to her Department’s Fire and Resilience Research Programme for 2008, what progress has been made on research into the optimal size of a fire and rescue service; and if she will make a statement. (261739)

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many buildings which were exempt from the regulatory requirements of the Fire Precautions Act 1971 are subject to the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. (261815)

We do not hold data on the number of premises covered by the provisions of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order. It applies to all non-domestic premises, including the common or shared parts of blocks of flats and houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).

Neither do we hold data on the number of premises designated by the Secretary of State under the 1971 Fire Precautions Act which were required to apply for and hold a fire certificate. Premises designated under the 1971 Act were:

(i) hotels and boarding houses providing accommodation for more than six people (whether employees or guests) or providing sleeping accommodation elsewhere than on the ground or first floors of the premises;

(ii) factories, offices and shops where more than 20 people worked at anyone time or more than 10 worked at any one time elsewhere than on the ground floor; and

(iii) smaller factories where significant quantities of highly flammable substances were stored.