HC Deb 11 June 2002 vol 386 cc1150-3W
Mrs. May

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many households were made homeless by house fires in each of the last six years. [60434]

Mr. McNulty

Precise information is not collected centrally. Data presented in the quarterly Statistical Release on Statutory Homelessness includes the number of households accepted by local authorities where homelessness was due to an emergency (table 3), but this does not distinguish cases involving house fires. Copies of the latest Statistical Release, issued on 14 March 2002 and covering the period to end December 2001, are available in the Library.

Mrs. May

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people were(a) killed and (b) injured in house fires in the UK in each of the last six years, broken down by (i) deliberate and (ii) accidental fires. [60433]

Mr. Raynsford

The following table shows the number of people killed or injured in deliberate and accidental dwelling' fires in the UK between 1995 and 2000.

Deliberate fires2 Accidental fires
Deaths3 Injuries3 Deaths3 Injuries3
1995 78 1,932 481 11,176
1996 76 2,026 488 12,163
1997 65 2,019 497 12,877
1998 59 2,152 454 12,827
1999 65 2,068 398 12,556
20004 51 2,326 396 12,065
1 Including caravans, houseboats and other non-building permanent dwellings.
2 Includes those fires where deliberate ignition is merely suspected.
3 Including brigade casualties.
4 Data for 2000 are provisional. Death figures have been estimated to take account of revisions expected to occur as a result of checks made against death certificates later in the year.

Mrs. May

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many house fires there were in each of the last six years broken down by(a) deliberate and (b) accidental fires in each fire authority. [60437]

Mr. Raynsford

The information is contained in the table.

Fires1 in dwellings2 by brigade area and motive, UK, 1995–2000
19953 1996 1997
Brigade area Total Accidental Malicious Total Accidental Malicious Total Accidental Malicious
United Kingdom 66,401 52,761 13,640 71,709 57,456 14,253 72,492 58,708 13,784
England and Wales 55,182 43,783 11,399 59,955 48,152 11,803 60,957 49,568 11,389
England 52,175 41,212 10,963 56,626 45,396 11,230 57,584 46,783 10,800
England: Non-met counties 26,645 22,231 4,414 29,381 24,787 4,594 29,970 25,569 4,401
Avon 841 689 152 980 814 166 1,047 896 151
Bedfordshire 458 379 79 466 357 109 536 424 112
Berkshire 559 492 67 646 568 78 671 596 75
Buckinghamshire 646 543 104 726 643 83 738 631 107
Cambridgeshire 491 395 96 562 433 129 579 453 126
Cheshire 922 770 152 1,010 804 206 1,069 875 194
Cleveland 1,117 545 571 954 581 373 852 594 258
Cornwall 375 354 21 452 414 38 481 455 26
Cumbria 543 459 84 609 517 92 587 505 82
Derbyshire 644 555 89 710 603 107 773 650 123
Devon 1,030 904 126 1,117 987 130 1,189 1,086 103
Dorset 467 430 37 522 478 44 568 519 49
Durham 658 530 128 653 539 114 719 566 153
East Sussex 890 779 111 1,000 867 133 995 852 143
Essex 1,015 883 132 1,091 978 113 1,041 918 123
Gloucestershire 471 405 66 479 432 47 511 461 50
Hampshire 1,138 993 145 1,410 1,159 251 1,321 1.141 180
Hereford and Worcester 529 471 58 670 615 55 762 679 83
Hertfordshire 725 644 80 903 805 98 951 853 98
Humberside 907 695 211 1,018 797 221 1,082 797 285
Isle of Wight 116 108 8 154 144 10 163 155 8
Kent 1,176 1,001 175 1,316 1.110 206 1,401 1,217 184
Lancashire 2,290 1,832 458 2,413 2,042 371 2,287 1,909 378
Leicestershire 765 597 168 825 625 200 774 603 171
Lincolnshire 404 337 68 429 338 91 475 412 63
Norfolk 532 462 70 551 469 82 629 549 80
North Yorkshire 450 406 44 567 524 43 476 433 43
Northamptonshire 564 478 87 671 567 104 780 643 137
Northumberland 277 239 38 358 312 46 324 271 53
Nottinghamshire 1,028 771 257 1,161 897 264 1,158 937 221
Oxfordshire 485 428 56 520 453 67 452 393 59
Shropshire 370 317 53 370 315 55 382 340 42
Somerset 341 314 28 363 338 25 389 350 39
Staffordshire 875 739 135 983 820 163 956 827 129
Suffolk 574 523 51 559 516 43 563 512 51
Surrey 616 558 58 669 615 54 701 646 55
Warwickshire 373 327 46 397 339 58 416 367 49
West Sussex 607 555 52 626 565 61 670 597 73
Wiltshire 375 323 52 468 404 64 498 454 44
Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 3 3 0 2 2 0
England: Met-counties 25,530 18,981 6,549 27,245 20,609 6,636 27,613 21,214 6,399
Greater Manchester 4,425 3,196 1,230 4,835 3,527 1,308 4,934 3,607 1,327
Merseyside 2,720 1,861 860 2,782 1,955 827 2,932 2,009 923
South Yorkshire 1,371 1,093 279 1,441 1,092 349 1,416 1,116 300
Tyne and Wear 2,081 1,180 902 1,913 1,239 674 2,117 1,456 661
West Midlands 4,240 3,141 1,099 4,643 3,418 1,225 4,610 3,504 1,106
West Yorkshire 2,656 1,930 725 2,925 2,142 783 2,875 2,156 719
Greater London 8,037 6,581 1,455 8,705 7,236 1,469 8,729 7,366 1,363
Wales 3,006 2,571 435 3,329 2,756 573 3,373 2,784 589
North Wales 686 615 71 805 704 101 758 656 102
Mid and West Wales 915 834 81 949 816 133 999 860 139
South Wales 1,406 1,122 284 1,576 1,237 339 1,616 1,268 348
Northern Ireland 2,067 1,558 509 2,238 1,606 632 2,210 1,616 594
Scotland 9,152 7,420 1,732 9,516 7,698 1,818 9,325 7,524 1,801
Strathclyde 4,620 3,776 845 4,685 3,823 862 4,716 3,845 871
Highland and Islands 339 321 17 309 288 21 288 269 19
Grampian 668 576 92 757 632 125 711 605 106
Tayside 772 628 144 834 670 161 780 647 133
Lothian and Borders 1,765 1,252 513 1,906 1,367 539 1,832 1,264 568
Fife 469 391 78 475 404 71 463 410 53
Central 349 317 32 367 329 38 356 317 39
Dumfries 171 158 12 186 185 1 179 167 12

1998 1999 20004
Brigade area Total Accidental Malicious Total Accidental Malicious Total Accidental Malicious
United Kingdom 71,077 57,718 13,359 72,228 58,366 13,862 70,897 56,655 14,242
England and Wales 59,680 48,701 10,979 60,808 49,497 11,311 59,413 47,929 11,484
England 56,464 46,052 10,412 57,490 46,744 10,746 56,184 45,277 10,907
England: Non-met counties 29,463 25,008 4,455 29,942 25,563 4,379 29,243 24,539 4,704
Avon 974 831 143 970 826 144 976 820 156
Bedfordshire 485 368 117 431 366 65 463 374 89
Berkshire 695 612 83 726 673 53 687 616 71
Buckinghamshire 740 636 104 679 609 70 669 569 100
Cambridgeshire 569 442 127 547 432 115 547 444 103
Cheshire 1,067 888 179 999 835 164 999 818 181
Cleveland 776 545 231 836 562 274 951 658 293
Cornwall 445 400 45 436 408 28 470 426 44
Cumbria 641 576 65 609 535 74 551 466 85
Derbyshire 775 655 120 783 663 120 734 617 117
Devon 1,144 1,055 89 1,226 1,128 98 1.290 1,118 102
Dorset 510 462 48 491 446 45 530 478 52
Durham 702 601 101 677 567 110 690 572 118
East Sussex 1,043 904 139 1,128 993 135 1,038 900 138
Essex 1,024 879 145 1,220 1,064 156 1.265 1,073 192
Gloucestershire 512 460 52 521 474 47 456 408 48
Hampshire 1,428 1,212 216 1,491 1,290 201 1,407 1,269 138
Hereford and Worcester 743 679 64 689 640 49 594 537 57
Hertfordshire 894 812 82 947 856 91 936 851 85
Humberside 1,060 788 272 1,104 820 284 1,043 743 300
Isle of Wight 169 162 7 165 164 1 151 141 10
Kent 1,318 1.113 205 1,272 1.108 164 1,242 1,051 191
Lancashire 2,324 1,894 430 2,273 1,729 544 2,299 1,770 529
Leicestershire 838 607 231 737 567 170 656 488 168
Lincolnshire 457 379 78 519 446 73 512 444 68
Norfolk 574 471 103 583 508 75 584 489 95
North Yorkshire 503 451 52 545 479 66 666 597 69
Northamptonshire 714 596 118 715 580 135 653 501 152
Northumberland 311 251 60 308 269 39 332 266 66
Nottinghamshire 1,074 870 204 1,109 886 223 1,043 799 244
Oxfordshire 509 461 48 474 421 53 490 429 61
Shropshire 357 296 61 436 380 56 361 317 44
Somerset 385 351 34 387 349 38 436 390 46
Staffordshire 985 866 119 1,182 1,047 135 926 778 148
Suffolk 523 472 51 554 500 54 510 447 63
Surrey 666 615 51 629 588 41 645 585 60
Warwickshire 396 343 53 402 349 53 353 287 66
West Sussex 648 570 78 659 577 82 651 544 107
Wiltshire 484 434 50 482 428 54 435 387 48
Isles of Scilly 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 2 0
England: Met-counties 27,001 21,044 5,957 27,548 21,181 6,367 26,941 20,738 6,203
Greater Manchester 4,782 3,531 1,251 5,120 3,697 1,423 4,934 3,654 1,280
Merseyside 2,914 2,023 891 3,018 2,009 1,009 3,023 1,975 1,048
South Yorkshire 1,483 1,165 318 1,433 1,092 341 1,463 1,092 371
Tyne and Wear 2,318 1,721 597 2,241 1,696 545 2,210 1,717 493
West Midlands 4,400 3,428 972 4,429 3,444 985 4,243 3,201 1,042
West Yorkshire 2,582 1,940 642 2,505 1,877 628 2,510 1,904 606
Greater London 8,522 7,236 1,286 8,802 7,366 1,436 8,558 7,195 1,363
Wales 3,216 2,649 567 3,318 2,753 565 3,229 2,652 577
North Wales 704 607 97 824 704 120 776 674 102
Mid and West Wales 955 831 124 1,029 884 145 984 566 118
South Wales 1,557 1,211 346 1,465 1,165 300 1,469 1,112 357
Northern Ireland 2,243 1,601 642 2,005 1,398 607 2,175 1,505 670
Scotland 9,154 7,416 1,738 9,415 7,471 1,644 9,309 7,221 2,088
Strathclyde 4,575 3,795 780 4,727 3,774 953 257 3,685 1,007
Highland and Islands 322 300 22 288 274 14 273 257 16
Grampian 761 658 103 885 762 123 864 723 141
Tayside 730 603 127 795 636 159 788 619 169
Lothian and Borders 1,752 1,207 545 1803 1,241 562 1,765 1,174 591
Fife 510 422 88 437 363 74 418 326 92
Central 354 300 54 326 282 44 335 279 56
Dumfries 150 131 19 154 139 15 174 158 16
1 Including late call, heat and smoke (LCHS) incidents. Fires are sampled and weighted to brigade totals.
2 Includes caravans, houseboats and other non-building structures used solely as a permanent dwelling.
3 Excludes some late call, heat and smoke incidents.
4 Figures for 2000 are provisional.