HC Deb 12 June 2002 vol 386 cc1299-300W
Mrs. May

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of primary fires were(a) in road vehicles, (b) in dwellings, (c) in other buildings, (d) outdoor fires, (e) in private garages and sheds, (f) in retail distribution premises, (g) in industrial and transport premises and (h) in none of the above in the last 12 months. [60447]

Mr. Raynsford

The most recent data available refer to 2000, and are contained in the table.

United Kingdom 2000
Primary fires1,2
Location Number Percentage
Road vehicles 94,827 43
Dwellings 70,897 32
Other buildings 22,440 10
Outdoor fires3 12,064 5
Private garages and sheds 7,868 4
Retail distribution premises 5,367 2
Industrial and transport premises 4,705 2
None of the above4 1,367 1
All primary fires 219,535 100
1 Including additional "late" call and heat and smoke damage incidents
2 Figures are based on weighted sample data. Due to rounding data may not sum to 100 per cent. Data for 2000 are provisional.
3 Other primary fires, excluding road vehicle fires and all outdoor secondary fires.
4 This category comprises agricultural buildings.

Mrs. May

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of house fires in each of the last six years were in(a) owner occupied housing and (b) rented housing. [60440]

Mr. Raynsford

The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mrs. May

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the cost to business resulting from fire-related damage in each of the last six years. [60435]

Mr. Raynsford

The most recent data on the cost of fire are for 1999. The DTLR Costs of Fire model estimates that in that year the direct cost to business of commercial building fires in England and Wales was £620 million.

This figure only relates to the direct cost of commercial fires due to property damage (£580 million) and loss of business (£40 million).

The full cost breakdown for commercial fires includes the costs to business of anticipating fires (e.g. fire protection), costs to local authority fire brigades in attending incidents, and costs to society in terms of deaths and injuries sustained as a result of commercial fires.

The full cost breakdown for commercial building fires is shown in the following table.

England and Wales 1999
£ million
Cost component for commercial building fires: Cost
Costs in anticipation of fires:
Fire protection 1,600
Fire safety 20
Insurance administration 350
Costs as a consequence of fires:
Property losses 580
Loss to business 40
Fatalities 10
Injuries 40
Fire service response costs 250
Total 2,890

Data are not available for previous years. Earlier estimates, produced by the Home Office and non-Government organisations, were based on different methodologies and are therefore not comparable to the figures shown in the table.