§ Mr. Sternasked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he has any plans to introduce legislation to require that upholstery materials used in caravans and caravanettes manufactured in the United Kingdom be made of fire retardant materials.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyI have been asked to reply.
There are no current legal requirements for the flammability of upholstery materials in road vehicles. We are trying to get European agreement to a standard as a basis for introducing such requirements in coaches where large numbers of people could be at risk in the event of a rapidly spreading fire resulting from a road accident. There are no plans at present to extend such requirements to other types of road vehicle such as caravans and caravanettes.