Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Office, what guidance her Department issues on fire safety in high-rise residential buildings; and whether that guidance includes instructions for residents of such buildings on action to take in the event of a fire.

The Home Office, as the Department responsible for fire safety, publishes a suite of guides to help Responsible Persons (RPs) understand and meet their legal duties under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO), and regulations made under Article 24 of the FSO, in specific types of premises including high rise purpose-built blocks of flats. This includes guidance on how to meet their legal duties in relation to providing instructions for residents on what action to take in the event of a fire.

The Home Office has also issued guidance on the new legal duties RPs have to ensure residents are aware of the steps they are required to take in the event of a fire as part of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 that came into force on 23 January 2023.