§ Dr. D. Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is yet in a position to make a statement about his consultations with the manufacturers of drip-feed oil heaters.
§ Mr. R. A. ButlerYes.
The Oil Appliance Manufacturers' Association has informed me that all its members who manufacture portable drip-feed radiant oil heaters will be taking the following actions:
First, they will ensure that all such heaters manufactured in the future will conform with the new British Standard now in course of preparation. The new standard will, among other things, require protection against draughts of up to eighteen miles an hour, a new requirement, as suggested in the recent report of the Joint Fire Research Organisation.
Secondly, they will undertake with the distributive trades in the United Kingdom to modify unsold heaters in order to bring them up to the new standard of draught performance.
Thirdly, they will offer facilities to the public where required to modify their heaters, provided they are now capable of modification, to bring them up to a higher standard of draught performance.
I am assured that the charges for these modifications to heaters both unsold and in the consumers' homes will be as low as practicable.
I welcome this prompt action by the manufacturers, and wish to express my appreciation of the responsible and co-operative attitude that they have shown.