Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to update the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988 to (a) remove chemical flame retardants, (b) provide additional support to furniture manufacturers, (c) improve fire safety, (d) increase recycling and (e) align with international best practice; and if she will publish a timetable for updating those regulations.

The policy paper ‘The fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture’, published on 22 January, set out that the Government is committed to delivering reforms to the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 that maintain a high level of fire safety while facilitating a reduction in the use of chemical flame retardants.

The Department for Business and Trade has been carrying out extensive, targeted stakeholder engagement this year to inform decision making, and the Government will provide an update in due course.