§ SIR J. LENG (Dundee)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the recent disastrous fire, attended by so many fatalities, at a large hotel in New York, has caused any inquiry to be made respecting the sufficiency of the means of exit, in the event of fire, from the huge hotels and mansions erected during recent years in this City; whether the plans of the internal arrangements of these buildings are examined by any competent architectural authorities; and whether there are statutory powers for enforcing arrangements for the safety of the inmates?
§ MR. COLLINGSThe disaster referred to is so recent that no such inquiry as the honourable Member suggests has, I think, been made as a result of it. But I understand that the matter will be brought before the Building Act Committee of the London County Council. The London Building Act, 1894, contains provisions for securing the safety of persons living in the hotels and mansions referred to in case of fire; and the plans of such building are subject to examination by the district surveyor, who has power to require fire-resisting construction in cases where he may deem it necessary.