§ Mr. SalmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many large single-storey buildings in Scotland have been damaged by fire in the last year for which figures are available. [37803]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThis information is not held centrally.
§ Mr. SalmondTo ask the Secretary of State for cotland what steps have been taken to secure harmonisation of Scottish building standards with regulations for England and Wales; and if he will make a statement on the evidence his Department has evaluated into the effectiveness of Scottish standards in respect of fire safety. [37804]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonHarmonisation of the technical requirements in the Scottish building standards and the building regulations for England and Wales is proceeding as parts of the regulations are updated and where judged appropriate. Given the differences in legal backgrounds, compliance checking systems, existing circumstances, and traditions in construction, complete harmonisation is not always possible. Close rapport is maintained between officials from England and Wales and from Scotland during the revision of both sets of regulations. In Scotland, the Building Standards Advisory Committee recently recommended the adoption of amended standards dealing with fire safety, which will include further harmonised requirements and which, with other amendments, are expected to come into force next year.