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National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Housing) (Fire Safety) Order 2010

I am sorry about that loss, although, in responding to the noble Lord, Lord Glentoran, I may respond to issues which the noble Lord might well have raised on the order. On the question of the length of time, I accept the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Glentoran, about the order, but I am not prepared to accept the generalisation. A number of LCOs have come through—some more rapidly than this one—and I agree that it would reflect badly on the system as a whole if they all took as long as this proposal. The explanation is fairly straightforward. It is somewhat more complex than many of the other orders, in part because of the relationship between devolved powers and the overall building regulations standards for England and Wales. I entirely accept the thrust of his point, which is that if we are to be satisfied with the LCO procedure, it must be a little snappier than it has been in this case. I do not think that this case is representative of the general process. Therefore, I am sure that we shall not have to entertain that criticism in the future. On the question of costs, we are all mindful of the fact that the construction industry is facing obvious difficulties in times of economic recession. We all know of the limitations on the availability of finance for housebuilding, and of the limitations on demand. I emphasise that the most extensive efforts have been made to ensure that this order is a product of very thorough consultation with the House Builders Federation, which was engaged in the early stages of scrutiny by the Assembly committee. The CBI also has made a contribution to this. I will add another obvious point, which I know the noble Lord, Lord Glentoran, will appreciate. It is important that we are reassured about the necessary consultation, but there are further stages to go. The Assembly has to operate the competence and I have not the slightest doubt that it will be extremely thorough in its discussions before this goes ahead. It will be against the background to which the noble Lord was right to draw our attention. Anything that imposes additional costs presents an issue: 1 per cent to 2 per cent is not insignificant. However, if one looks at the building industry and the issues with regard to demand, other, much greater factors relate to the level of housebuilding at the present time. This is a marginal additional cost, on which it will be for the Welsh Assembly eventually to take a view. It is likely to take the view that the enhanced security that it provides, and the reduction in public costs if we can reduce the impact on the fire authorities, will give obvious advantages. Those advantages would be not just to the private sector, the industry and the purchaser, but also to the public purse. I do not think that the issue has been overtaken by events. Certainly, when the Welsh Assembly Government finally come to deliberate on these matters, they will take account of the current circumstances. I hope that those then obtaining will be somewhat more advantageous than they are at this particularly bleak time. As the noble Lord will already have appreciated, there are indications that the Welsh economy, like the British economy as a whole, is emerging out of recession, which will be a great stimulus to housebuilding.