§ 26. Mr. Edelmanasked the Minister of Labour whether he has taken into account the fire hazard of untreated insulated linings to factory structures; and what new regulations he will introduce in order to make the fireproofing of such materials compulsory.
§ Mr. CarrYes, Sir; account is taken of this particular fire hazard in the work of the Factory Inspectorate on fire prevention. As I announced in the debate on 18th May last year consideration is being given to the desirability of making regulations, but I am not yet in a position to make a statement about the outcome.
§ Mr. EdelmanWill the hon. Gentleman consider the urgency of the matter, because the chief officer of the Coventry 1382 Fire Brigade drew the attention of the Jaguar Company to the nature of the roof, saying that it consisted of R.P.N. sheeting and insulating board, recognised as two of the greatest hazards in roofing materials for spreading fire? Has not the cause of several major fires in the last few years arisen from these untreated insulated boards? As practically all of the former shadow factories in Coventry are constructed in precisely this way, will not the hon. Member give the matter his very urgent attention?
§ Mr. CarrI can assure the hon. Member that we are giving this matter the most urgent attention, but he will appreciate that the interest of the Factory Inspectorate under the Factory Acts in the prevention of fires is a relatively new one. We are entering new territory, and we will go into the matter as urgently as we can.
§ Mr. RobensWill not the Parliamentary Secretary agree that what my hon. Friend is saying is that this is a very risky fire hazard? What he is asking is that some immediate investigation should be made by the factory inspector into this fire hazard. Is not that something which he can do immediately, because there is a very grave danger to life if known hazards are not dealt with immediately?
§ Mr. CarrThe right hon. Gentleman could not have understood my reply to an earlier Question on this subject. The factory inspector visited the factory on the morning after the fire and the district inspector has been in touch with various expert opinion on this, and we are urgently preparing a report on the whole matter.