§ Dr. BrandTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will estimate the cost of installing battery-powered smoke alarms in all local authority dwellings in England; [79605]
(2) if he will estimate the proportion by region of local authority-owned dwellings fitted with smoke alarms; [79607]
(3) if he will estimate the cost of installing mains-powered smoke alarms in all local authority dwellings in England. [79583]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe proportion of local authority owned dwellings fitted with smoke alarms is as follows. Estimates are taken from the 1996 English House Condition Survey. They relate to occupied local authority dwellings only and are as follows:
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Percentage Government Office Region Proportion of occupied local authority owned dwellings with a smoke alarm North East 55 Yorkshire and the Humber 55 North West 65 East Midlands 65 West Midlands 65
Percentage Government Office Region Proportion of occupied local authority owned dwellings with a smoke alarm South West 70 Eastern 55 South East 80 London 40 England 60 In 1996, 40 per cent. of occupied local authority dwellings had no smoke alarm fitted. The estimated cost of installing battery-operated smoke alarms in these dwellings is £40 million. This is based on flats requiring one smoke alarm and houses requiring two.
In 1996, 60 per cent. of occupied local authority dwellings had a smoke alarm fitted but only 16 per cent. of these were mains powered detectors. The estimated overall cost of installing mains-operated smoke alarms in the 90 per cent. of occupied local authority owned dwellings in which no mains powered smoke alarm is currently present, is £260 million.
§ Dr. BrandTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of lives that would be saved each year if every local authority dwelling in England was fitted with a smoke alarm. [79606]
§ Mr. George HowarthI have been asked to reply.
Although no current estimate along those lines is available, fire statistics show that there were 465 fire deaths in dwellings in England in 1997 and these can be categorised by the presence or otherwise of a smoke alarm.
Presence and operation of smoke detector Fatal casualties Present, operated and raised the alarm 36 (8%) Present, operated but did not raise the alarm 18 (4%) Present, but did not operate 57 (11%) Absent 354 (77%) Total 465 Research shows that around 82 per cent. of households in England and Wales now own a smoke alarm. However, the levels of ownership among those households in the United Kingdom having fires is much lower, at only 30 per cent.
The 1997 fire fatality statistics show the very clear benefits of increasing smoke alarm ownership further as well as the need to make sure that alarms are properly maintained and sited. Such messages are an important part of the Government's new Community Fire Safety strategy which is designed to reduce fire deaths in the home.