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Written question asked by Baroness Berger (Labour) on Tuesday, 21 July 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 4 August 2026. It was answered by Lord Leong (Labour) on Friday, 31 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.

Fire Resistant Materials: Costs

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with furniture manufacturers over the past two years regarding the costs of adding chemical flame retardants to products sold in the UK.

Answer

Following the 2023 consultation ‘Smarter Regulation: Fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture’, the Government engaged extensively with a wide range of stakeholders, including manufacturers and upholsterers to build our evidence base, including on the costs associated with chemical flame retardant use.

This engagement led to the consultation ‘Product regulation: fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture’ with amended proposals, including ending mandatory open-flame testing and moving to a smoulder-based test consistent with the approaches adopted internationally, and removing re-upholstery and repair from the scope of the regulations so that it is more proportionately regulated under the General Product Safety Regulations.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL2390
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Costs Chemicals Fire resistant materials
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk