Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure local health services are prepared to respond to incidents of mass carbon monoxide exposure in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
All National Health Service organisations, including in Surrey, are required to prepare for, and respond to, a wide range of incidents or emergencies that could adversely affect the health of the population.
In the event of an incident of mass carbon monoxide exposure, ambulance services can dispatch a Hazardous Area Response Team. This provides the initial NHS response with trained and equipped paramedics who can safely enter a contaminated area to support casualties and provide clinical care.
As an integrated care board, NHS Surrey Heartlands has policies for emergency preparedness, resilience, and response, in order to support local resilience partners and maintain critical services in the event of an incident.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate his Department has made of the (a) number of gas jobs conducted annually by unqualified workers and (b) the proportion assessed as unsafe; and what proportion of unsafe gas works are linked to carbon monoxide leaks.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (GSIUR) which address the safe installation, maintenance, and use of gas systems, in commercial and domestic premises. Under GSIUR, gas engineering businesses must be registered with the Gas Safe Register (GSR) to carry out work covered by the Regulations legally. GSR runs the approved registration scheme for gas engineers on behalf of HSE and, as part of its remit, it ensures that all registered engineers have the appropriate qualifications to conduct gas work, and it conducts investigations into illegal gas work.
HSE has not made an estimate of the number of gas jobs conducted annually by unqualified workers, but it does have statistics for HSE enforcement notices for work carried out by unregistered gas fitters and GSR investigations into unregistered gas work.
In 2024/2025, 522 site investigations were carried out into unregistered gas work and those investigations identified 4548 immediately dangerous, at risk or not to current standard defects which were attributed to unregistered fitters. HSE issued 44 prohibition notices in relation to unregistered gas work against 42 businesses.
HSE is unable to provide figures for the proportion of unsafe gas works that were linked to carbon monoxide.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help support local authorities in (a) monitoring and (b) mitigating carbon monoxide risks in mixed-use residential areas in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government acknowledges the vital contributions made by fire and rescue services to a wide variety of incidents.
All Fire and Rescue Authorities are required to publish Community Risk Management Plans (CRMPs) in line with the Fire and Rescue National Framework for England.
Decisions on how their resources are best deployed are a matter for each Fire and Rescue Authority (FRA) as the employer, based on its analysis of risk and local circumstances.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support the fire and rescue service to respond effectively to carbon monoxide incidents in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government acknowledges the vital contributions made by fire and rescue services to a wide variety of incidents.
All Fire and Rescue Authorities are required to publish Community Risk Management Plans (CRMPs) in line with the Fire and Rescue National Framework for England.
Decisions on how their resources are best deployed are a matter for each Fire and Rescue Authority (FRA) as the employer, based on its analysis of risk and local circumstances.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help reduce housefires in social housing in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department continues to run its national Fire Kills campaign to raise awareness of key fire safety messages and behaviours to help keep people safe in their homes. The latest advertising campaign launched on 17 November and reminds people to ensure they have a sufficient number of working smoke alarms in their home. The Department works in close partnership with the National Fire Chiefs Council to support local community fire safety activity undertaken by local fire and rescue services, often targeted at those most vulnerable to fire.
Under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations 2015, all private and social landlords must ensure at least one smoke alarm is equipped on each storey of their homes where there is a room used as living accommodation.
Awaab’s Law was introduced in October 2025 and means that landlords must take action to investigate emergency hazards, including fire hazards, and make them safe within 24 hours (excluding work to fix cladding). The landlord must also take action on significant damp and mould in fixed timelines. In 2026 the requirements will expand to apply to a wider range of hazards, including significant fire hazards.
The Department has also consulted on reviewing the Decent Homes Standard that social landlords must meet, including a proposal to add fire alarm systems to the list of building components that must be kept in good repair. The response to the consultation will be published in due course.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what consideration his Department has given to the potential merits of mandating carbon monoxide detectors in every home with fixed combustion appliances.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to answer given to Question UIN 80767 on 20 October 2025.
The Building Regulations 2010 apply to new building work and are intended to protect people’s safety, health and welfare. They apply when a building is being designed, constructed, or subject to major re-design, so that minimum standards for size, space and materials are included. The Regulations, which are supported by statutory guidance in Approved Document J, set minimum performance standards for new building work including, at Schedule 1 Part J, provisions for detection and early warning of carbon monoxide. The statutory guidance makes clear that where a new or replacement fixed gas or solid fuel burning appliance is installed in a dwelling, a carbon monoxide alarm should be provided in the room where the appliance is located.
The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations 2015 provide important protections for renters, private and social, requiring landlords to fit smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their homes. In addition to these regulations, fire and carbon monoxide safety requirements can be found in the Housing Act 2004, the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Building Safety Act 2022, and government will protect tenants further through our review of the Decent Homes Standard and the new requirements to address health and safety hazards under Awaab’s Law.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Single Living Accommodation units and (b) Service Family Accommodation homes in (i) north Shropshire and (ii) Shropshire have recorded (A) defective fire alarms, (B) missing fire doors and (C) non-compliance with modern fire safety standards in each year since 2015.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The tables below show reported (A) defective fire alarms and (B) missing fire doors in Single Living Accommodation (SLA) across Shropshire and North Shropshire, as at 18 November 2025. Data prior to 1 April 2018 is not held.
Shropshire
Year | Defective Fire Alarms | Missing Fire Doors |
2018 | 106 | 9 |
2019 | 117 | 23 |
2020 | 112 | 13 |
2021 | 69 | 13 |
2022 | 141 | 0 |
2023 | 151 | 2 |
2024 | 89 | 11 |
2025 | 114 | 5 |
North Shropshire
Year | Defective Fire Alarms | Missing Fire Doors |
2018 | 32 | 0 |
2019 | 30 | 1 |
2020 | 16 | 0 |
2021 | 12 | 0 |
2022 | 15 | 0 |
2023 | 26 | 0 |
2024 | 20 | 2 |
2025 | 15 | 0 |
Information on (C) compliance with modern fire safety standards is not held. This is because all SLA buildings are complaint with standards in place at the time of their construction.
(b) Service Family Accommodation
Service Family Accommodation in Shropshire and North Shropshire does not include flats, communal spaces, or Houses in Multiple Occupation. Therefore, homes in this area are not subject to the Fire Safety Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and fire doors and alarms are not required. However, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation must ensure smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are installed and maintained.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the installation of carbon monoxide alarms in (a) care homes, (b) student halls, (c) office spaces and (d) other residential settings not covered by the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms (Amendment) Regulations 2022.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The goverrnment currently has no plans to extend the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, which are designed specifically to address issues associated with rented residential accommodation. Other buildings, including workplaces and care settings, are already covered by other regulations.
The Building Regulations 2010 apply to new building work, including air supply and chimney or flue requirements for combustion appliances installed in buildings, and for dwellings only the provision of warnings of a release of carbon monoxide. The Gas Safety Installation and Use Regulations 1998 require owners of premises to ensure gas appliances are installed and maintained properly by a competent gas safe registered engineer, which the Health and Safety Executive advise is the most effective way to reduce the risk from carbon monoxide.
The 2015 smoke and CO alarm regulations provide important protections for renters, private and social, requiring landlords to fit smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their homes. In addition to these regulations, fire and carbon monoxide safety requirements can be found in the Housing Act 2004, the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Building Safety Act 2022. The government has also introduced additional safety legislation to protect tenants from health and safety hazards through the introduction of Awaab’s Law which will come onto force for damp, mould and all emergency hazards this month.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms (Amendment) Regulations 2022 to (a) schools, (b) office spaces and (c) other public buildings.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The goverrnment currently has no plans to extend the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, which are designed specifically to address issues associated with rented residential accommodation. Other buildings, including workplaces and care settings, are already covered by other regulations.
The Building Regulations 2010 apply to new building work, including air supply and chimney or flue requirements for combustion appliances installed in buildings, and for dwellings only the provision of warnings of a release of carbon monoxide. The Gas Safety Installation and Use Regulations 1998 require owners of premises to ensure gas appliances are installed and maintained properly by a competent gas safe registered engineer, which the Health and Safety Executive advise is the most effective way to reduce the risk from carbon monoxide.
The 2015 smoke and CO alarm regulations provide important protections for renters, private and social, requiring landlords to fit smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their homes. In addition to these regulations, fire and carbon monoxide safety requirements can be found in the Housing Act 2004, the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Building Safety Act 2022. The government has also introduced additional safety legislation to protect tenants from health and safety hazards through the introduction of Awaab’s Law which will come onto force for damp, mould and all emergency hazards this month.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures are (1) currently in place and (2) planned in future, to protect staff and patients in hospitals, care homes and hospices from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Gas Safety Installation and Use Regulations 1998 require hospitals, care homes, and hospice owners to ensure gas appliances are installed and maintained properly by a competent gas safe registered engineer. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advises that this is the most effective way to reduce the risk from carbon monoxide. We have no current plans to change the regulations in place for hospitals, care homes, and hospices, unless experts at HSE revise their advice.