§ Mr. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations he has had, as part of his review of the Fire Precautions Act 1971, on the effects of extending designations to include hostels and houses in multiple occupation.
§ Mr. Giles ShawThe current review of the Fire Precautions Act 1971, which was the subject of a consultative document published on 23 July 1985, is primarily concerned with the statutory arrangements for securing reasonable standards of fire safety in occupied buildings. No detailed consideration has yet been given to what new occupancies might be designated if the new system proposed in the consultative document were to be adopted. However, there would be full consultation with all the interested organisations before any such designation orders were made. From time to time representations have been made that some types of hostels and other houses in multiple occupation should be designated under the 1971 Act as requiring a fire certificate, but it has been so far decided that it would be wrong to contemplate any new designations while the Act is being reviewed.