Oral Answers to Questions

Nick Raynsford Excerpts

Monday 2nd February 2015 Commons Chamber

[The Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Brandon Lewis)]

I know that my hon. Friend has fought hard for his residents in Harlow and I have met him, the police and crime commissioner and Harlow council. The council and the local police should be using their powers to make sure that policy, the green belt and the good residents of Harlow are protected in the way my hon. Friend has fought so hard to do.

[Mr Nick Raynsford (Greenwich and Woolwich) (Lab)]

T10. May I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests? This time last year, the Department published a consultation paper on the private rented sector that, among other items, proposed that the installation of working smoke alarms be mandatory. Since then, Ministers have repeatedly failed to meet their own—frequently deferred—deadlines for saying when the consultation will be published. Why are they dragging their feet on such a simple and popular measure that will save lives?

[Brandon Lewis]

The right hon. Gentleman makes a fair point about how important working smoke alarms and CO₂ detectors can be in saving lives. We will respond to the consultation in due course.