§ Mr. Beanasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is satisfied with the effectiveness of the building regulations in respect of the fire risk, particularly in relation to flashback, attending the storage of plastic and similar combustible materials; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FreesonBuilding regulations control the design and construction of buildings rather than their use, and are intended to ensure that, if fire breaks out in a building, the occupants can escape safely and the spread of fire is minimised. Their requirements, which restrict the constructional use of plastics materials but do not relate to the storage of such materials, are kept under review. Part I of the Health and Safety at Work, etc., Act 1974, which is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment, provides for the continuing enforcement at places of work of the controls over the manufacture and storage of flammable materials under the Factories Act 1961, and empowers the Health and Safety Commission to propose new regulations replacing or extending the existing requirements.