§ Sir Bernard Braineasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were injured or killed in the course of fires in domestic premises caused by faulty plugs, sockets and switches in each of the years from 1970.
§ Mr. MellorInformation on casualties from fires in dwellings attended by local authority fire brigades reported as ignited by electrical wiring is published annually in Fire Statistics United Kingdom (table 27 of the issue for 1981). Of these, the numbers from fires reported as ignited by plugs, sockets and switches are available only from 1978 and are given in the following table.
Casualties from fires in dwellings in which the source of ignition was an electrical plug, socket or switch† United Kingdom Number of persons Year non-fatal fatal 1978* 28 1 1979 13 1 1980* 15 1 1981 13 2 * Figures for 1978 and 1980 include estimates covering periods of industrial action by fire brigades. † Including not only fires caused by faults in the devices but also from other causes such as unsatisfactory connections.