Hansard

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak to the two motions seeking approval for the instruments. With the committee’s permission, I intend to speak to both instruments together. If approved, they will postpone to February 2022 the requirement for all homes to meet new standards for smoke and heat alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Before I start, I would like first of all to record my apology for what happened, and for any distress or anxiety that folk have experienced either as a result of the messaging that went out from private companies, or from the failure of the Scottish Government to effectively communicate our own messages as we had originally intended this year. The misuse of our logo absolutely should never have happened, and in an ideal world, without the pandemic, we should have done more ourselves to get clear messages out there. There are lessons to be learned; I assure the committee that we have learned them and that we will stop that situation, or anything like it from happening again. As it currently stands, the changes relate to the requirement for all homes to have interlinked fire and carbon monoxide detectors situated in specific areas within the home, and are due to come into force on 1 February 2021. However, it is clear that the Covid pandemic has created difficulties for people seeking to install new fire and carbon monoxide alarms and has cut across our original plans for publicising the changes. We have listened to the concerns, and we agree that there is a strong case for a one-year delay to the implementation of the legislation, to allow people more time to carry out that important safety work. However, improving fire safety remains a key priority for the Scottish Government. The instruments do not change the substance of the new standard, as it was considered by the committee at the previous meeting on 19 December 2018. The basic principle that the standard will help to reduce the risk of death and injury has not changed. Although we plan to delay implementation of the legislation, to allow more time for people to fit alarms and to resume our plans to raise public awareness as we move through the pandemic, I urge home owners to install alarms to the new standard at the earliest opportunity to ensure, not only compliance with the regulations but that people’s homes are as safe as possible. I request that?the committee considers two related instruments, because, during the course of preparing the amendment for the date for the tolerable standard, which affects all housing, it came to light that we would also require to change the date on which the existing standard ceases to be part of the repairing standard for private landlords. That required an additional instrument, because the power in section 86(2) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 is to amend the tolerable standard by order, but the power in section 20A(1) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 is to vary the repairing standard by regulations. To ensure that the duty on private landlords to provide smoke and fire alarms as well as carbon monoxide alarms is not removed and aligns with the tolerable standard, the second instrument for the repairing standard is also required. In our combined efforts to minimise the various harms of this awful pandemic, we have had to be flexible. I hope that the committee will agree that it is right that we show that flexibility now and allow further time to raise awareness and to give people the additional time and opportunity to fit the necessary alarms. If the delay is approved, we will resume and build on our work with partners to raise awareness of the changes before the new deadline. We will also work with suppliers and retailers to maximise effective support and advice to homeowners. As we know, the standard is already clear for the private rented sector, and, given the strides forward that have already been made by landlords in the social rented sector, our focus will be on supporting householders to ensure that satisfactory fire and carbon monoxide alarms are installed, so that we can improve the safety of their homes. Although the delay will give people a further 12 months to install the alarms, I hope that most people will recognise the safety benefits of the standard and act much sooner. I have instructed my officials to explore all avenues to ensure that that is as easy as possible for people to do. As we know, Scotland has rigorous standards for smoke and fire alarms. We know that the presence of working fire and smoke alarms significantly reduces casualties and fatalities within the home. One death from fire is one death too many, and we want to do all that we can to ensure that people are supported. Therefore, I ask the committee to support the motions, in order to balance a proportionate response to the impacts of the pandemic with our ambition to improve fire safety in all Scottish homes. I am happy to take questions from members.