I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 41 and 46 together.
I announced on Thursday, 25 February 1988 that new regulations will be introduced in early 1989 relating to the fire safety requirements for upholstered furniture. This decision was taken on the basis of a report which I requested from the National Standards Authority of Ireland last October and which I have now received. I asked for this report because of the need to keep our regulations up to date in this area of extreme danger potential. Technological advances in foam manufacture in recent years mean that we can now set higher levels of fire resistance for furniture on sale in this country.
The present regulations relating to the flammability of upholstered furniture have been in place since 1980. They require that from 31 December 1982 upholstered furniture must be resistant to smouldering cigarettes and either be flame resistant or carry a warning label indicating that it is not flame resistant.
These regulations were introduced at the same time as similar regulations in the UK. They have served, over the years, to reduce the risk of fires occurring in furniture, bearing in mind the state of technology, materials available and the cost of alternatives at that time.