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Agenda item 3 is on the Fire Sprinklers in Residential Premises (Scotland) Bill and relates to correspondence from Michael Matheson, who is the member in charge of the bill. The committee may wish to note that there is an amendment to the recommendation in the cover note, COM/S2/04/13/2, which has been circulated to members. The paper seeks the approval of the Parliamentary Bureau to extend the deadline for the completion of stage 1 until 15 October 2004. As some members will be aware, that date falls in the recess. It is therefore proposed that we seek the extension until 8 October 2004. Is that agreed?
Members indicated agreement.
Although we are parking the matter in the meantime, we obviously want to thank those who have come to give us evidence. We also extend our thanks to Strathclyde fire brigade for its presentation on fire sprinklers, which I certainly found useful. I am happy to take any further comments on what has happened.
I questioned the City of Edinburgh Council's evidence on whether the introduction of fire sprinklers could be covered under the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 and I noticed that, in a press release last week, Mary Mulligan was recommending that fire sprinklers could indeed be covered under that act. I just wanted to put that on record. I think that the press release referred specifically to care homes and multistorey flats, but my point is that the measures proposed in the bill can be implemented through the technical standards under the Building (Scotland) Act 2003.
I think that you are also referring to the correspondence that Mary Mulligan has sent to Michael Matheson on that point. I presume that the press release was issued as a consequence of that correspondence.
I simply put on record my view that that is a mature and reasonable response on the part of the Executive to the committee's investigations into the bill. I very much welcome it and think that it is an appropriate way forward. A change in building regulations could not be secured through a member's bill, so I think that what has been proposed should speed up the delivery of an improvement in fire safety. I welcome the move and I hope the position is that the bill has been parked simply for technical reasons. I hope that the Executive is able to make good speed and I have every confidence that it will.
It was clear to me before we started our discussions last week that, if we are to have sprinklers in residential properties or family homes, that will come about within the scope of the existing legislation that governs building regulations. I know from discussions with Mary Mulligan that she has been doing a bit of work on the matter and now seems to be quite an expert. We should therefore see building regulations change so that fire sprinklers become a standard item that people expect in new-build properties. I recognise that there are some difficulties with retrospective standards, but that is something that we need to try to work towards solving. The legislation exists to allow the minister to do that, so it is now just a question of working with the professionals to get the changes through.
Do members agree to the recommendation, as amended, in the paper?
Members indicated agreement.
Meeting suspended until 11:20 and thereafter continued in private until 11:26.
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