§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress was made at the European Council on 14 June concerning the conclusion of the draft directive on the fire behaviour of upholstered furniture.
§ Mr. McLoughlin[holding answer 30 June 1993]: On 14 June 1993 the Commission stated that the proposed directive on the fire behaviour of upholstered furniture had not been included in the 1993 legislative programme because of the difficulty in preparing adequate standards, particularly with regard to the safety of fire retardent treatments. Subsequent to this, at the Copenhagen European Council the Commission produced a list of items, in the context of discussions of subsidiarity, for which no legislation is now planned. The safety—flammability—of foam-filled furniture is included in this list.