§ Mr. ByersTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will make new Fire Precautions (Places of Work) Regulations; when they will take effect; what estimates he has made of the provisional costs to(a) the public sector generally and (b) schools of complying with the new regulations.
§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will implement the Fire Precautions (Place of Work) Regulations.
§ Mr. Charles WardleThe report of the interdepart-mental review of fire safety legislation and enforcement recommended that the Home Office should not proceed with the proposed Fire Precautions (Places of Work) Regulations but that the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 should instead be amended to implement fully the framework and workplace directives relating to the health and safety of workers at work. The Government are considering those recommendations.
The possible compliance costs to the public sector, including schools, have still to be finally assessed in the light of comments from other Government Departments. However, a compliance cost assessment will form part of any consultation document containing proposals for regulations to implement the general fire safety provisions of the framework and workplace directives.