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Proposed Social Housing (Automatic Fire Suppression Systems) (Scotland) Bill - Shelter Scotland consultation response

By: Shelter Scotland
Published: April 2018

Proposed Social Housing (Automatic Fire Suppression Systems) (Scotland) Bill - Shelter Scotland consultation response

Shelter Scotland welcome the opportunity to respond to the consultation on the proposal for a Bill to require Scottish Social Housing to be fitted with Fire Suppression Systems.

Shelter Scotland helps over half a million people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help.

We're here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

At Shelter Scotland, we believe everyone is entitled to a safe, secure and affordable home, and safety from fires is a crucial part of that. Recent tragic events at Grenfell Tower in London show the devastating consequences that fire can have on lives, families, and whole communities. It is paramount that we learn from this, and that all reasonable measures are taken to ensure people are safe in their homes.

We welcome the proposed Bill which gives an opportunity to discuss further safety measures, specifically in the form of sprinklers in social housing. We support efforts to increase tenant safety, whilst questioning the introduction of a new standard specifically for social housing and not other tenures. We believe it is of paramount importance that any decision to require fire suppression systems in new-build social housing should be based on evidence that this is the most effective support and protection for tenants in relation to alternative measures and look forward to the conclusion of the Scottish Government's Building Standards (Fire Safety) Review Panel and the further evidence this will bring to the debate.