Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the level of support for customers who lost goods and possessions in the Shurgard fire in Croydon on New Year’s Eve, what assessment the Government has made of the adequacy of requirements on businesses to plan for major disasters and support affected customers; and if he will make a statement.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, contracts entered into by a trader and a consumer where a trader agrees to carry out a service, such as storing their goods, have to be carried out with reasonable care and skill. Traders are prohibited from including a term in the contract which limits its liability when carrying out that service.

For free information and advice on their rights, consumers should contact the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 (www.citizensadvice.org/).

Whilst we do not place any requirements on businesses to plan for emergencies, we do encourage businesses to be prepared and the Cabinet Office provides good practice guidance on the actions they can take on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-emergencies/preparing-for-emergencies

In addition, the Cabinet Office publishes the National Risk Register which contains further information and resources to help individuals, businesses and communities to plan for specific emergencies: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-risk-register-of-civil-emergencies-2017-edition.