Housing: Fires
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what consideration his Department has given to strengthening regulatory interfaces, including the UK’s machinery and building‑safety frameworks, to ensure that lifts, doors, and other powered egress‑related systems allow for rapid evacuation of vulnerable residents during fire emergencies.
Answered by Samantha Dixon
The government is reviewing the recommendation from the Grenfell Inquiry to mandate fire safety strategies for higher risk buildings. Such strategies would require a building’s responsible person to set out clear plans for what vulnerable people should do to evacuate in an emergency. Additionally, government has committed to review and update guidance to the Building Regulations set out in Approved Document B (Fire Safety). The Building Safety Regulator has launched a public consultation setting out proposals including new provisions for evacuation lifts in residential buildings over 18 metres to support safe evacuation of residents who may not be able to use stairs. The consultation closes on 17 June 2026.
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