Lack of government support for smoke alarms putting households at risk

Scottish Liberal Democrat communities spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP has today called on SNP ministers to ramp up support for households as he revealed more than a quarter of homes are not meeting new standards for smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms.

Under new legal regulations that came into effect on 1st February 2022, every home in Scotland is legally required to have an interlinked fire and smoke alarm system and this is included in the assessment of whether a house meets the Tolerable Standard.

The latest Scottish Housing Condition Survey reveals that when including new criteria on smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms, 29% of homes fall below the Tolerable Standard. In 2019, before the fire alarm criteria were included, the proportion of homes failing to meet the standard was 2%.

The date of implementation for these regulations was previously delayed for a year due to lack of preparedness. However, during that delay and since, the government has failed to properly support households on low income with the equipment costs and to make people aware of the little that is currently available.

Mr Rennie said:

"The Scottish Government made interlinked fire alarms a legal requirement, but they haven't done enough to promote these changes or support people in installing the new systems.

“For many, it represents another significant cost being piled onto households.

“It’s worrying to see such a big rise in the number of households falling below the tolerable standard, but it’s even more worrying that the government seem to be doing very little to fix it.

“The SNP don't seem to be bothered with such a large shortfall. I want to see ministers being far more proactive in providing urgent support for households who have been unable to install the correct systems.”