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1342394

registered interest
date	30/06/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Furniture: Fire Resistant Materials
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government has taken to reduce flame retardants in UK furniture; and what reductions have been achieved since 2014.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
uin	25085
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2021 answer text <p>To support the development of its new approach to the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, the Government has undertaken two consultations on proposals to update the prescribed tests as set out in the schedules of the 1988 Regulations. Revision of the Regulations is complex, and a broad spectrum of views were expressed through these consultations.</p><p>In July 2019, the Government announced it would develop a new approach to the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 and develop Regulations based on safety outcomes. In support of these Regulations, standards are being developed independently by the British Standards Institution.</p><p>The 1988 Regulations already allow for the use of materials and products that deliver consumer safety from fires, without using chemical flame retardants and the Government continues to welcome innovative approaches that deliver safe outcomes for consumers.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 09/07/2021 12:03:21 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1342397

registered interest
date	30/06/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Furniture: Fire Resistant Materials
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to help reduce the number of sofas and mattresses in UK homes that contain the flame retardant chemical DecaBDE, which was banned under UK REACH in March 2019.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
uin	25087
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2021 answer text <p>With effect from 2 March 2019, the use of Deca-BDE was restricted through REACH – this prevents the manufacture and supply on the market of Deca-BDE, including in articles such as furniture. The restriction does not apply to articles placed on the market before 2 March 2019.</p><p> </p><p>A list of restricted substances is available on the Health and Safety Executive website: <a href="https://www.hse.gov.uk/reach/restrictions.htm" target="_blank">https://www.hse.gov.uk/reach/restrictions.htm</a>.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully grouped question UIN 25088 question first answered 09/07/2021 11:58:26 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1342398

registered interest
date	30/06/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Furniture: Fire Resistant Materials
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has taken steps to make the general public aware that furniture may contain the flame retardant DecaBDE which was banned under UK REACH in March 2019.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
uin	25088
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2021 answer text <p>With effect from 2 March 2019, the use of Deca-BDE was restricted through REACH – this prevents the manufacture and supply on the market of Deca-BDE, including in articles such as furniture. The restriction does not apply to articles placed on the market before 2 March 2019.</p><p> </p><p>A list of restricted substances is available on the Health and Safety Executive website: <a href="https://www.hse.gov.uk/reach/restrictions.htm" target="_blank">https://www.hse.gov.uk/reach/restrictions.htm</a>.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully grouped question UIN 25087 question first answered 09/07/2021 11:58:26 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1226248

registered interest
date	20/07/2020
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Furniture: Fire Resistant Materials
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the minutes of the discussions between his Department and the Office for Product Safety and Standards in February 2020 on (a) updating and (b) removing children’s products from the scope of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988.
tabling member constituency	Swansea West
tabling member printed	Geraint Davies
uin	76560
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/09/2020 answer text <p>The Office for Product Safety and Standards is a departmental office within the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. We do not publish minutes of internal policy development meetings.</p><p> </p><p>The Government published its response to the Environmental Audit Committee's Twentieth Report of Session 2017–19 on Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life (EAC) on 16 September 2019. It committed to reviewing the scope of the furniture and fire safety regs including baby and children’s products.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 01/09/2020 07:49:33 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	155 label Biography information for Geraint Davies

1226249

registered interest
date	20/07/2020
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Furniture: Fire Resistant Materials
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure that flame retardant chemicals from end-life sofas and mattresses are prevented from polluting (a) the air, (b) rivers and (c) oceans.
tabling member constituency	Swansea West
tabling member printed	Geraint Davies
uin	76561
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/09/2020 answer text <p>The Stockholm Convention bans or restricts the use of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that are toxic, persist in the environment, bio-accumulate in humans and animals, and have long-ranging properties. The Convention has banned some chemicals that have historically been used as flame retardants in sofas and mattresses and the UK supported this action. Those bans are in force in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>To prevent POPs entering the environment, the waste industry has a legal requirement to destroy POPs where they are present in waste articles above a threshold limit. We have recently completed a study to better understand the use of two of the most commonly used flame retardants in soft furnishings before they were banned, decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD). We will now use this information as a basis on which to work with the waste industry to review management of soft furnishings. This will ensure that articles most likely to contain POPs are destroyed at the end of their life, preventing pollution.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 01/09/2020 10:33:22 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	155 label Biography information for Geraint Davies

1224358

registered interest
date	14/07/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Furniture: Fire Resistant Materials
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to remove upholstered furniture, carpets and curtains in UK (a) hotels, (b) care homes, (c) hospitals and (d) other non-domestic properties that still contain the flame retardant chemical DecaBDE since that chemical was banned under REACH in March 2019.
tabling member constituency	Swansea West
tabling member printed	Geraint Davies
uin	73688
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2020 answer text <p>The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the FSO) is the legislation covering fire safety in non-domestic premises in England and Wales.  The FSO requires the person responsible for the premises to undertake a fire risk assessment of the premises and put in place and maintain adequate fire protection measures to reduce the risk to life from fire to as low as reasonably practicable.</p><p> </p><p>The FSO does not prescribe the levels of flame-retardant chemicals used in products. Product safety comes under the Office of Product Safety and Standards, which is the body responsible for the regulations that apply to furniture and furnishings.</p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 22/07/2020 15:50:44 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
tabling member	155 label Biography information for Geraint Davies

1224359

registered interest
date	14/07/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Furniture: Fire Resistant Materials
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Home Department, what steps she has taken to reduce the levels of flame retardant chemicals used in furniture, carpets, curtains and other product in non-domestic properties in order to meet the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
tabling member constituency	Swansea West
tabling member printed	Geraint Davies
uin	73689
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2020 answer text <p>The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the FSO) is the legislation covering fire safety in non-domestic premises in England and Wales. The FSO requires the person responsible for the premises to undertake a fire risk assessment of the premises and put in place and maintain adequate fire protection measures to reduce the risk to life from fire to as low as reasonably practicable.</p><p>The FSO does not prescribe fire protection measures, nor the levels of flame-retardant chemicals used in products present. The particular measures and their properties is a matter for the responsible person.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 22/07/2020 16:49:59 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
tabling member	155 label Biography information for Geraint Davies

1224362

registered interest
date	14/07/2020
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Furniture: Fire Resistant Materials
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure compliance with the Stockholm Convention by ensuring disposal of furniture containing flame retardant chemicals safely at end-life.
tabling member constituency	Swansea West
tabling member printed	Geraint Davies
uin	73692
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2020 answer text <p>The Stockholm Convention bans or restricts the use of persistent organic pollutant chemicals (POPs) that are toxic, persist in the environment, bio-accumulate in humans and animals and have long-ranging properties. The Convention has banned some chemicals that have historically been used as flame retardants in soft furnishings and the UK has supported this action.</p><p> </p><p>The waste industry has a legal requirement to destroy POPs that are in articles such as soft furnishings and this is achieved if they are incinerated at the correct temperature. We have recently completed a study to better understand the use of Decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) and Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD), which were the most commonly used flame retardants in soft furnishings before they were banned. We will now work with the waste industry to use this information to recognise where soft furnishings are likely to contain POPs, thereby ensuring disposal processes destroy the banned flame retardants.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 21/07/2020 15:53:34 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	155 label Biography information for Geraint Davies

1135742

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Furniture: Fire Resistant Materials
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have assessed the environmental risks of disposing of polyurethane used in furniture which has been treated with tris (1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCIPP).
tabling member printed	The Countess of Mar
uin	HL16835
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2019 answer text <p>Tris (1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCIPP) is also known by its regulatory process name, tris (2-chloro-1-methylethyl) phosphate (TCCP).</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency worked with chemical authorities in the Republic of Ireland to initially assess the risks of TCPP in 2008. The potential environmental and human health risks of TCPP in products and other objects are currently being considered by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and European Union member state scientists. Subsequently, building on a greater body of evidence, the ECHA, supported by Danish and German work are evaluating the properties of this substance and considering a legal restriction on it.</p><p> </p><p>Further information on this is expected soon and will help identify the chemical properties and environmental risks from TCPP in products like furniture.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 10/07/2019 15:30:43 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	1861 label Biography information for The Countess of Mar

1128075

registered interest
date	22/05/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Furniture: Fire Resistant Materials
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 21 May (HL15638), what steps they are taking to clarify which of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 or the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 should take precedence in circumstances where either might apply, such as in (1) domestic and communal spaces in care homes, or (2) an office room based in a domestic dwelling.
tabling member printed	The Countess of Mar
uin	HL15924
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p>The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 apply to upholstered furniture which is ordinarily intended for private use in a dwelling.</p><p> </p><p>The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) is primarily for businesses and other non-domestic premises including communal areas of multi-occupied residential premises – where the communal areas are effectively workplaces and not primarily domestic premises. For care homes where the main use is the provision of residential care, the FSO applies to the entire premises as they are a workplace. It does not apply to people’s private homes.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley question first answered 05/06/2019 16:20:45 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
tabling member	1861 label Biography information for The Countess of Mar