HC Deb 26 May 1994 vol 244 cc279-80W
Mr. Dafis

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the final report of the fire safety scrutiny team.

Mr. Charles Wardle

My right hon. and learned Friend expects to receive the report from the scrutiny team very shortly. Thereafter he will be considering along with my right hon. Friends, the President of the Board of Trade, the Secretary of State for Employment and the Secretary of State for the Environment, how best to take things forward.

Mr. Beith

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations have taken place between his officials and the construction industry task force on fire legislation and enforcement; which officials were involved in the consultations; and what specific reference has been made to these consultations in documents published or placed in the Library.

Mr. Charles Wardle

There were no formal consultations between my officials and the construction industry task force on fire legislation and enforcement. However, Mr. R. J. Miles and Mr. A. N. Pickersgill of the fire safety division did meet two members of the task force and officials from the Department of Trade and Industry on 5 July 1993 when preliminary deregulatory ideas were raised.

There were no further meetings between members of the fire safety division and the task force; and my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade published the latters proposals in January 1994. No reference to meetings with officials were made in that document or in the task forces working papers which were placed in the Library on 30 March 1994.