Question reference: S5W-35989
- Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 11 March 2021
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Current status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 18 March 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with ensuring that housing developers comply with fire safety standards in the homes that they build.
Answer
Scottish Government has recently strengthened guidance on the roles and responsibilities of any person undertaking new building work. The Building Standards Procedural Handbook, published on 1 October 2019, emphasises the importance of regular and effective communication and partnership working to improve compliance with building regulations. It also recommends the use of more formal customer agreements and pre-warrant discussions between the applicant and verifier to discuss all the key aspects of design, and the importance of carrying out safety checks on critical design elements during construction.
Scottish Government is also considering, under the development of a new Compliance Plan Approach, changes to the building standards system that will provide greater assurance on compliance with building standards for all building warrant projects from design inception through to completion of the building.