Lord Harrison's Bill for Domestic Sprinklers Reintroduced
April 2011
To much surprise, Lord Harrison's Bill (which will require CLG to re-consider the benefits of domestic sprinklers) has received a third reading in the Lords and now goes to the Commons where it will be introduced by Alun Michael.
It remains to be seen whether the Government will allow it any time after it's first reading.
This is the: Building Regulations (Review) Bill.
News taken from BAFSA
October 2010
Presenting his Building Regulations (Review) Bill to the House on 22 October 2010, he said the move would "save lives".
He called for further research into the feasibility of all new houses and flats being fitted with sprinklers or other such automatic fire suppression systems.
Earl Atlee, speaking on behalf of the government, said a review of the building regulations was already under way and that the issue of sprinklers and fire safety had been researched in recent years.
He said it was more an issue for the house-building and insurance industries and warned that compulsory fitting could cost up to £300 million a year.
The government's general approach was to reduce rather than increase regulation, Lord Atlee added.
News taken from BBC News Democracy
January 2010
All new homes in England and Wales should be fitted with sprinkler systems, Lord Harrison told peers today.
Opening the debate on 15 January 2010, Lord Harrison said that the bill provided a chance to make a real difference to people's lives, by extending existing regulations requiring high-rise residential blocks to be fitted with sprinklers, to all low-rise homes.
Sprinklers provide a "valuable lifeline", particularly for those less mobile, he told peers and stressed that the cost of fitting and maintaining sprinkler systems in new homes would be minimal.
Peers spoke overwhelmingly in support of the bill, which Labour peer Lord Brookman described as a potentially "significant milestone in fire safety legislation".
"There is no reason why this bill couldn't become law," Lord Hoyle added.
Cost-effective
But Conservative peer Earl Cathcart expressed concern about the cost to new houses and suggested that the bill be put on hold until the housing market has improved.
Communities and Local Government Minister Lord McKenzie told peers that the government recognised the importance and effectiveness of sprinklers in residential houses.
But he said that it would not be cost-effective to apply sprinklers to all new builds, although he did acknowledge that there is a case for sprinkler systems to be fitted in high-risk buildings.
The government would continue to look at more cost-effective ways to fit sprinklers to new residential buildings, but now was not the time for legislation, he concluded.
News taken from BBC News Democracy
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