Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what information has been made available to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, the Dame Judith Hackett Review, and the Independent Experts Advisory Panel with regard to the findings set out in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills consultation papers on the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations, published in 2015, that the Regulations are ineffective and that furniture and furnishings treated with flame retardant chemicals can cause toxic smoke in dwelling fires.

The Department is providing the Grenfell Tower Inquiry with the documents that it holds in accordance with its Terms of Reference and List of Issues. It will then be for the Inquiry to determine which of these documents are relevant.

The Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety was commissioned to consider the effectiveness of the current system of building regulation and fire safety, with a particular focus on multi-occupancy, high-rise residential buildings. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ consultation papers on the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations did not fall within the remit of the Review.