§ Mr. PikeTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what information his Department has on the benefits to date arising from regulations covering furniture foam; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, as amended, include requirements for the flammability resistance of foam filled furniture. Statistics for deaths and injuries in fires are compiled by the Home Office from data collected by fire brigades. The data records that the number of deaths caused by combustion originating in upholstery and covers in dwellings has fallen from 193 in 1988 to 117 in 1991. Though other factors, such as an increased use of smoke alarms, may have influenced these figures the fall in the death rate associated with fires in upholstery and covers was much steeper than the fall in death rate from fires in dwellings overall.