Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 19 January 2022
19 Jan 2022 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Fire Alarm Standards
We support this vital fire safety improvement, but, if home owners cannot comply, the measure will not save the lives that we hope it will. A pensioner who called me yesterday, panicking that their insurance will be invalidated, was the latest person I have spoken to who wants to comply but cannot get the kit until March. The Association of British Insurers said that
“Insurers will expect that households and businesses are compliant with any legislation”
but that they are
“not likely to ask questions about specific standards. It will be for individual insurers to decide how they respond to the new standard”.
Does the cabinet secretary accept that insurers will have every right to interpret the legal enforcement date and the standards as those that are in law and that relying on their not being likely to ask questions does not give home owners the assurance that they deserve? Letting that happen when many home owners cannot get access to the alarms is bad policy, so will the cabinet secretary instruct a formal delay and give home owners more time to source the alarms and comply?
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
The next item of business is a statement by Shona Robison on strengthened fire alarm standards. The cabinet secretary will take questions at the end of her s...
The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government (Shona Robison)
SNP
The law on fire alarms is changing from 1 February in Scotland. There have been calls for a further delay to the legislation but, having considered the balan...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
The cabinet secretary will now take questions on the issues raised in her statement. I intend to allow around 20 minutes for questions, after which we will m...
Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Con)
Con
I thank the cabinet secretary for advance sight of her statement. However, there is nothing new in it, which will be of concern to many householders across S...
Shona Robison
SNP
The important thing here is to get on with supporting and encouraging home owners to put in the devices that could potentially save lives. I hope that we all...
Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
We support this vital fire safety improvement, but, if home owners cannot comply, the measure will not save the lives that we hope it will. A pensioner who c...
Shona Robison
SNP
No, that would not be the right thing to do, because there has already been a delay. We are talking about devices that have the potential to save lives. If I...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I remind all members who wish to ask a question to check that their cards are inserted and that their request-to-speak buttons are pressed.
Elena Whitham (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP)
SNP
As the cabinet secretary said in her statement, the law has come about because of the tragic disaster at Grenfell, which led to the deaths of 72 people. Can ...
Shona Robison
SNP
We have considered the expert advice that has been provided to us. Interconnected alarms were recommended on the back of work that was done post-Grenfell by ...
Alexander Stewart (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
Age Scotland has highlighted for much of the past year the continued anxiety among the public—particularly among older people—regarding letting trades people...
Shona Robison
SNP
I appreciate the concerns that Alexander Stewart has expressed. In some circumstances—when someone does not feel comfortable, as the member has cited, or whe...
Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP)
SNP
How many lives is a full implementation of this specific measure expected to save in a year? Given the current number of installers and their uneven spread ...
Shona Robison
SNP
As I said earlier, in 52 per cent of domestic fire incidents, a smoke alarm had alerted occupants to the fact that there was a fire, which gave people a grea...
Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
The Scottish Labour freedom of information request revealed that funding of £500,000 for care and repair services to provide the installation has helped bare...
Shona Robison
SNP
In my previous answer, I said that care and repair services across Scotland have supported around 2,500 people in one way or another. I do not have the speci...
Jackie Dunbar (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP)
SNP
As was previously mentioned, the standards for those interlinked alarms were set nearly 15 years ago for new builds and nearly a decade ago for the private s...
Shona Robison
SNP
In 2013, the Scottish Government published a sustainable housing strategy with a commitment to developing a new cross-tenure standard for housing. Since then...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
The minister really must stop saying that the alarms can be installed for £220 or less, because the figures are often far higher, and she knows that all too ...
Shona Robison
SNP
I do not accept that characterisation of the situation at all. There was a delay because of Covid, and that was a good reason—it was supported by members acr...
Gordon MacDonald (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP)
SNP
A number of constituents have raised concerns about understanding the alarm requirements, and their availability and cost. Although I welcome the assurance t...
Shona Robison
SNP
As I said earlier, the Scottish house condition survey collects information on homes and minimum standards for housing. The legislation will add adequate pro...
Jeremy Balfour (Lothian) (Con)
Con
I do not know where the cabinet secretary’s officials shop, but I have just checked and every B&Q in Edinburgh has no availability until after the releva...
Shona Robison
SNP
In a previous answer, I was clear about online retailers with UK supply chains and DIY retailers. I take Jeremy Balfour’s point about Edinburgh, but there ar...
Ariane Burgess (Highlands and Islands) (Green)
Green
I thank the cabinet secretary for providing advance sight of her statement, and I welcome the introduction of the regulations next month. Everyone should hav...
Shona Robison
SNP
The key issue is that the safety of such people will not be as enhanced as that of those who have interlinked fire safety devices. We know, because the exper...
Fiona Hyslop (Linlithgow) (SNP)
SNP
Many local authorities, including West Lothian Council, have removed care and repair services. Some constituents tell me that installers are scarce and that ...
Shona Robison
SNP
All local authorities have broad discretionary powers to provide assistance to home owners where work is needed to look after homes or to meet statutory stan...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
After Christine Grahame, Graham Simpson will be the last MSP I am able to call. I ask for succinct questions and answers, so that I can get both members in.
Christine Grahame (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP)
SNP
As the cabinet secretary is aware, I wrote to her last year to raise many of the concerns that have been iterated today, so I welcome her statement. However,...