Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department sought legal advice in advance of redrafting the Building Bulletin 100 guidance relating to sprinkler systems in school buildings; and what assessment her Department made of that advice.

Nick Gibb

We are currently consulting on updating the Fire Safety Design for Schools – Building Bulletin 100 (BB100) guidance as it is nearly 10 years old. However, there is no change to the policy regarding the installation of sprinklers in new school buildings, and the requirement for a proper fire risk assessment to determine the need for sprinklers in new schools is consistent with the BB100 guidance from 2007.

All new schools are assessed on a case-by-case basis for fire safety and, where it is concluded that sprinklers must be fitted to protect property or keep children safe, they will be. All schools must comply with building and fire safety regulations.

As there has been no change in policy, no legal advice was required in the development of the draft updated BB100 guidance.