Current status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 30 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in its Programme for Government to “put in place more stringent fire safety provisions for external wall cladding systems”, what plans it has to stop the alternative route of (a) desktop studies and (b) BS 84814, which allows combustible materials onto the outside of buildings, and when it will release further details of its plans.
More stringent fire safety provisions for external wall cladding systems were developed from the recommendations of the Building Standards Fire Safety Review Panel. Revised Technical Handbooks were published on 12 July 2019 and apply from 1st October 2019.
Provision of external wall cladding systems with a fire classification of either A1 (non-combustible) or A2 (will not contribute to fire spread) is now sought in buildings with a storey at more than 11 metres above ground level. The same provision applies, regardless of building height, to assembly and entertainment buildings and to hospitals and residential care buildings with exemption only for small buildings.
Desktop studies are not supported or recognised within building regulations in Scotland.
National and International members of the Building Standards Fire Safety Review Panel fully supported the continued use of the full scale façade test (BS 8414) as an alternative to the A1/A2 classification as it is considered one of the most robust full scale fire test methodologies in the world.
This British Standard is currently being reviewed and improved further by the relevant British Standards Institution Committee. In addition, a new standard (BS 9414) will provide additional information on the application of the results from BS 8414 tests.