Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will remove the requirement for waking watches to be in place before funding is granted for the installation of a common fire alarm system in buildings where there is a simultaneous evacuation policy.

The Waking Watch Replacement Fund (WWRF) covers the costs of installing a common fire alarm to replace expensive waking watch measures in all eligible residential buildings. A waking watch must be in place for a building to be eligible for funding. The eligibility criteria for the WWRF reflects how fire safety risks should be managed by the Responsible Person as part of their duties under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and in accordance with sector led guidance published by the National Fire Chiefs Council. SEG_-_4th_Edition_-_FINAL_17082022.pdf