Gas Safety (Hansard, 23 May 2000)

§ Mr. Sayeed
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the average time taken to report on incidents involving(a) gas explosions and (b) fires in the last 12 months for which statistics are available. [123042]

§ Mr. Meacher
On the assumption that the question refers to the average time taken by HSE inspectors to report on such incidents following investigation, the answer is that data are not maintained that would provide an average time for the completion of a report. The time taken depends on the nature of the incident and the complexity of the investigation; one recent example has taken five months while another was completed in 48 hours.

§ Mr. Sayeed
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what research he has commissioned into ways of improving gas safety. [123040]

§ Mr. Meacher
HSE is making a contribution towards the costs of the following research projects carried out by British Gas Technology (BGT) under the auspices of the Joint Industry Programme:

(i) compartment ventilation

(ii) vitiation modelling

(iii) open flue interaction

(iv) reliability of CO alarms

(v) information dissemination

(vi) emergency response

(vii) incident data.

Research has been commissioned separately by HSE on:

(i) the reliability of CO detectors (BGT)

(ii) incident data (BGT)

(iii) test methods for room-sealed appliance seals (BGT)

(iv) flue performance (at BRE).

§ Mr. Sayeed
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what procedures exist to ensure that lessons learnt from inquiries into gas explosions are circulated to local authorities, housing associations, and those involved in gas installations. [123038]

§ Mr. Meacher
It is normal practice to publish public inquiry reports, for example those which covered gas explosions at Ronan Point and Putney. These and other serious accident investigations inform the development of regulatory controls governing gas installation and use, and related guidance for duty holders.

§ Mr. Sayeed
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what funding his Department has allocated in the current year for research into gas safety. [123041]
434W

§ Mr. Meacher
For the financial year 2000–01, £307,000 has been allocated by HSE for gas safety research.

§ Mr. Sayeed
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when was the last time his Department issued guidelines to local authorities, housing associations and house builders on safety relating to gas installations. [123039]

§ Mr. Meacher
The Health and Safety Commission approved on 12 October 1998 a Code of Practice giving practical guidance on complying with the provisions of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. Guidelines were issued to local authority enforcement officers on the enforcement of the Regulations in assigned premises in November 1999.
In addition, the Building Regulations make requirements for the safe accommodation of combustion installations in buildings. Approved Document J, which supports the legal requirements, gives technical guidance on some ways of achieving compliance when installing gas combustion systems; this would include following the recommendations in certain British Standards. Approved Document J was last amended in 1989, and the current edition came into effect on 1 April 1990.