Question reference: S6W-03426
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
- Date lodged: 1 October 2021
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Current status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 October 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the number of households that have installed interlinked fire alarms in advance of the new legislation coming into force in February 2022; whether it anticipates all households will meet the new standard by this date, and how it is monitoring this.
Answer
It is not possible to determine exactly how many owner occupied homes have alarms of the prescribed type installed as this information is not currently collected as part of the Scottish House Condition Survey.
We consider that, in principle, all houses could meet the standard by the date it comes into force. But, as with existing standards, it is possible that some owners will be unwilling to carry out work to substandard houses, and that others might need more time, for example, due to illness or because of the cost. The legislation allows some flexibility, as it says work should be carried out within such period as is reasonable in all the circumstances.
When the regulations on the new fire alarm standard have come into effect, we will collect more precise data because compliance with the tolerable standard is included in the Survey. This will allow us to monitor progress in bringing Scotland’s homes up to the new standard.