The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places requirements on Responsible Persons to implement practical arrangements and procedures to safeguard all residents and prevent serious and imminent danger. Most multi-occupied residential premises will have in place an evacuation plan to provide assurance to all residents.<\/p>
The recent Fire Safety Consultation sought views on our proposals to the Inquiry\u2019s recommendations that require a change in the law, including on requiring the Responsible Person for all high-rise residential buildings to draw up and share with their local Fire and Rescue Service current evacuation plans. Following the Consultation, we are considering the proposals in light of the responses received, and plan to implement Regulations as soon as is practical in 2021.<\/p>
It is important that we get this right and ensure the voice of residents and those with accessibility needs and disabilities are heard, and we will undertake a further consultation this spring on the complex issue of personal emergency evacuation plans.<\/p>
The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, which came into force in April 2018, placed duties on local housing authorities to take reasonable steps to try to prevent and relieve a person\u2019s homelessness. If a housing authority is unable to prevent an applicant from becoming homeless, they are required to reach a decision as to whether the applicant has a priority need for accommodation.<\/p>
Any person who is made homeless by result of an emergency, such as a fire, has a priority need for homeless assistance and would be entitled to accommodation secured by the local authority.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4495", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kit Malthouse"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North West Hampshire"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Kit Malthouse"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-03-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-03-09T17:07:54.073Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-03-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "High Rise Flats: Fires"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to tackle the concerns raised by disabled tenants and leaseholders on the adequacy of (a) evacuation plans and (b) suitable alternative accommodation in the case of a fire in high rise blocks.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4811", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Navendu Mishra"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stockport"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Navendu Mishra"} ], "uin" : "160839"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1179009", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Home Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1179009/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person must undertake and review regularly a fire risk assessment of the non-domestic premises within tower blocks and put in place and maintain adequate and appropriate fire precautions to mitigate the risk to life from fire. This includes ensuring adequate means of escape for building users. The Local Government Association (LGA) produced guidance on fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats to support responsible persons to deliver an appropriate level of fire safety.<\/p>
Operational guidance, including guidance on managing incidents and undertaking mass evacuations in the event of a fire, is a matter for the sector.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1530", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for James Brokenshire"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Old Bexley and Sidcup"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "James Brokenshire"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-06-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-06-30T15:22:02.79Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-02-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "High Rise Flats: Fires"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) research, (b) planning and (c) development of procedures had been undertaken by her Department on mass evacuations of tower blocks before the Grenfell Tower fire.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4653", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Stephen Morgan"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Portsmouth South"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Stephen Morgan"} ], "uin" : "18899"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1173927", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1173927/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Home Office will introduce a Fire Safety Bill in early 2020 which will put beyond doubt that owners or managers of multi-occupied residential buildings need to fully consider and mitigate the risks of external wall systems and front doors to individual flats.<\/p>
The Fire Safety Bill will create a firm foundation to enable the Government to lay regulations to deliver the legislative recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report, including in relation to personal evacuation plans for residents whose ability to evacuate may be compromised. A consultation on the Grenfell Tower Phase 1 legislative recommendations is planned for spring 2020.<\/p>
In addition, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has committed to bringing forward a Building Safety Bill. In our consultation, Building a Safer Future: proposals for reform of the building safety regulatory system<\/em>, we set out proposals to create an enhanced safety framework for high-rise residential buildings. This included proposals for residents of buildings in scope of this new regime to receive key safety information about their building, which would include details about how to notify their \u2018building safety manager\u2019 if their ability to evacuate may be compromised. We will publish the response to our consultation shortly and will introduce legislation at the earliest opportunity.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4075", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Christopher Pincher"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Tamworth"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Christopher Pincher"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-02-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-02-24T17:38:09.76Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "7"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Housing, Communities and Local Government"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Housing, Communities and Local Government"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2020-01-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "High Rise Flats: Fires"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure owners and managers of high-rise residential buildings introduce measures to support residents whose ability to self-evacuate may be compromised.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4368", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Neil Coyle"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bermondsey and Old Southwark"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Neil Coyle"}
], "uin" : "9051"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1131274", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Home Office"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1131274/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Home Office published the latest statistics on fires attended by fire and rescue services in the year ending 31 December 2018 on 9 May 2019. The number of fires by type of dwelling are available in table 0205 here:<\/p>