HL Deb 27 September 2000 vol 616 cc136-7WA
Baroness Masham of Ilton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether all prisons in England and Wales are subject to building regulations. [HL3711]

Lord Bassam of Brighton

All design, building and engineering work carried out by the Prison Service is subject to the substantive (as opposed to the procedural) requirements of the Building Regulations 1991 (Statutory Instrument No. 2768) apart from:

  • Schedule 1 paragraph B1 (Fire safety means of escape)
  • Schedule 1 paragraph B3 (fire resistant sub-divison of buildings when material alterations are made)

Prisons within the Inner London Area (Belmarsh, Brixton, Holloway, Pentonville, Wandsworth and Wormwood Scrubs) are subject also to the requirements of the Building (Inner London) Regulations 1985 and 1987.

The Prison Service is not subject to the procedural requirements of the Building Regulations; i.e. it is not required to submit drawings etc. for prison buildings and engineering works for Building Regulation approval.