Fire Prevention: London Underground
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with the London Fire Brigade on (a) the issuance of advice to Transport for London on flammable material in sub-surface stations and (b) book exchanges in London Underground Tube stations.
Answered by Dame Diana Johnson
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) places a range of legal duties on Responsible Persons (the person in control of a premises), chief among which is the need to undertake a fire risk assessment to identify any general fire safety precautions that need to be taken to ensure that the premises, and people within it, are safe from fire.
In the vast majority of premises, the FSO is enforced by the local fire and rescue authority and within London that is through the London Fire Brigade. Enforcing authorities can provide advice on premises they audit, and they have complete operational independence from Government on these matters.
The Fire Precautions (Sub-surface Railway Stations) (England) Regulations 2009, which were designed to update earlier regulations and ensure they align with the FSO state that all parts of station premises must be kept clear of any accumulation of combustible refuse or other combustible matter.
The government published guidance explaining the Regulations for both enforcing authorities and those responsible for them in Guidance Note 3: Fire safety on sub-surface railway stations.
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