If people want higher standards of fire protection, industry rather than government should be driving that improvement, a senior government official has said.
Speaking to an audience of insurance industry representatives, Brian Martin of the Department for Communities and Local Government quoted fire minister, Bob Neill:
“If you think that more fire protection would be good for UK business then you should be making your case to the business community, not the government.”
Mr Martin outlined the government’s policy on regulation, as unveiled by the prime minster. One aspect of that policy is that any minister who wants to bring in a new regulation must first find an existing one to get rid of.
“No-one should underestimate how revolutionary this is,” said David Cameron soon after taking office last May. “For a long time, the whole business of Whitehall has been about creating new regulations. This new rule completely blows that culture apart.”
In addition, the government was committed to reforming the planning system and reducing the total burden of regulation on the housing industry, said Mr Martin.
Following a consultation exercise, DCLG published a document in December 2010, setting out it work on change to building regulations.
Mr Martin said building regulations could be slimmed down, while at the same time delivering “even better standards of compliance” in the future.
Detailed coverage of Brian Martin’s comments
