§ Mr. Terry Fieldsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will publish the contents of the telex he received on 9 July from the British Safety Council following the fire at York Minister; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what proposals he intends to make to re-designate places of worship in order to bring them within the Fire Precautions Act 1971.
§ Mr. MellorAlthough not exempt from the fire-fighting inspection provisions of section 1(1)(d) of the Fire Services Act 1947, places of worship are specifically exempted from the provisions of the Fire Precautions Act 1971 which enables premises falling within certain classes22W of use to be designated as requiring a fire certificate. 'The effect of the 1971 Act has been to give priority to premises which appear most likely to constitute a threat to life safety, and it is not generally considered that places of worship specifically built for that purpose fall into that category.
§ Mr. Terry Fieldsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action was taken by his Department following criticism by the British Safety Council on the existing fire precaution arrangements in St. Paul's cathedral in July 1981.
§ Mr. MellorThe allegations made by the British Safety Council about fire precautions arrangements in St. Paul's cathedral before the Royal wedding in July 1981 were discussed with the London Fire Brigade. The brigade reported that it carried out regular inspections in the cathedral and received every cooperation from the cathedral authorities. The brigade also confirmed that it was satisfied with the special arrangements which had been made for the wedding.