Vol. 473 No. 4
57 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment if his attention has been drawn to the increasing number of fires involving plastic storage tanks serving domestic and commercial premises; and if he will introduce as a matter of urgency rigorous standards to outlaw hazardous practices which have become the norm in this unregulated area. [22734/96]
The attention of my Department has been drawn to some reports of fires involving oil storage tanks. Responsibility for the formulation of standards for products such as oil storage tanks comes under the aegis of the Department of Enterprise and Employment. However, I propose to include provisions in relation to the spread of fire between buildings and such tanks in revised building regulations and accompanying technical guidance documents which are due to be published shortly. These provisions will take account of the characteristics of tanks constructed from different materials.
