Fire safety guidance consultation: analysis of responses

2. The draft guidance

A draft volume of guidance, covering existing residential premises with sleeping accommodation was prepared for public consultation. It consolidates and supersedes the following existing guides:

• Practical Fire Safety Guidance for Small Premises Providing Sleeping Accommodation, 2010
• Practical Fire Safety Guidance for Medium and Large Premises Providing Sleeping Accommodation, 2008
• Practical Fire Safety Guidance for Small Bed and Breakfast and Self-catering Premises, 2010

These three guides contain a substantial amount of duplication and we believed that reducing the number of guides would make them easier to use for duty holders and enforcers, and provide greater clarity on the relevant guide for particular premises.

A reduced number of guides will also enable the Scottish Government to update when necessary, with a subsequent benefit for dutyholders and enforcers.

The proposed guide has a number of editorial changes from the existing three guides it seeks to replace.

It does not seek to impose any major new standards, nor is it intended to impose more onerous benchmarks: Fire safety obligations are set out in Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the guides are designed to assist dutyholders in meeting their obligations The draft revised Practical Fire Safety Guidance for Existing Premises with Sleeping Accommodation contains 75 pages.