§ Mr. Richard Pageasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fires were caused by wiring defects in England and Wales in the last year for which figures are available; and what was the approximate cost of the damage.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggIn 1984 local authority fire brigades in England and Wales attended 15,949 fires for which electrical wiring was recorded by the brigade as the source of ignition. Of these, 2,845 vehicles and 1,083 in other outdoor locations (excluding more minor outdoor fires, on 89W which brigades do not report information on the cause). These figures for England and Wales correspond to those for the United Kingdom published in tables 34 and 58 of "Fire Statistics United Kingdom, 1984". Information on the financial cost of these fires is not available.