There is a growing concern about the health and environmental impacts of some chemical flame retardants, including tris(chloropropyl) phosphate. In June 2025, the Environment Agency published a scoping review of flame retardants relevant to the GB market. This year the Health and Safety Executive added several flame retardants to the UK REACH Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern, signalling their potential for further regulatory control.

There is a growing body of evidence to support action to reduce the volume of chemical flame retardants used to enable upholstered furniture to pass flammability tests set out in the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade recently ran a consultation on a set of policy proposals that aim to maintain a high level of fire safety, while meaningfully reducing the reliance on chemical flame retardants.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are long-lasting chemicals that can harm human health and the environment. Waste containing POPs above legal limits must be managed so that the POPs are destroyed or irreversibly transformed. Some chemical flame retardants previously used on sofas and similar upholstered seating are classified as POPs and therefore must be disposed of in this way.

There is a growing concern about the health and environmental impacts of some chemical flame retardants, including tris(chloropropyl) phosphate. In June 2025, the Environment Agency published a scoping review of flame retardants relevant to the GB market. This year the Health and Safety Executive added several flame retardants to the UK REACH Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern, signalling their potential for further regulatory control.

There is a growing concern about the health and environmental impacts of some chemical flame retardants, including tris(chloropropyl) phosphate. In June 2025, the Environment Agency published a scoping review of flame retardants relevant to the GB market. This year the Health and Safety Executive added several flame retardants to the UK REACH Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern, signalling their potential for further regulatory control.

There is a growing body of evidence to support action to reduce the volume of chemical flame retardants used to enable upholstered furniture to pass flammability tests set out in the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade recently ran a consultation on a set of policy proposals that aim to maintain a high level of fire safety, while meaningfully reducing the reliance on chemical flame retardants.

This government has made no assessment of a contribution to indoor air contamination by off-gassing flame retardants. Part D of the Building Regulations 2010 relates to toxic substances and associated guidance in Approved Document D (attached) makes clear that formaldehyde fumes, given off by urea formaldehyde foams, should not penetrate to occupied parts of the building. Building Regulations Part F and Approved Document F (attached) relate to ventilation and describe how systems should be designed to supply a minimum level of outdoor air for occupants’ health and to rapidly dilute indoor air pollutants. Approved Document F includes performance criteria for indoor air pollutants, based on the World Health Organization’s Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Selected Pollutants (2010) and Public Health England’s Indoor Air Quality Guidelines for Selected Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the UK (2019 ).

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.

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.

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.

Furniture manufacturers must ensure they only place safe products on the UK market. Any chemical flame retardants used in furniture must comply with all relevant UK chemical regulations, including UK REACH.

While the evidence of negative health impacts from chemical flame retardants in furniture is limited, the Government recognises concern about their widespread use. The consultation ‘Product regulation: fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture’ proposes reforming the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, which set flammability requirements for upholstered furniture, to maintain a high level of fire safety while meaningfully reducing the use of chemical flame retardants.

The Government works closely with industry partners to strengthen the resilience of critical digital infrastructure and to reduce vulnerabilities that could arise from supply chain dependencies, cyber risks or single points of failure. This includes promoting robust cybersecurity practices, business continuity planning and risk management measures across critical sectors.

Through the National Cyber Security Centre and other relevant authorities, the Government continues to assess risks to the UK's digital infrastructure and, where necessary, takes action to protect national security and the continuity of essential services.

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) outline specific duties on employers to protect workers from harmful substances, such as foams and flame retardants, which may be contained in soft furnishings such as mattresses and sofas. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides practical advice and guidance on the basics of COSHH, completing COSHH assessments and links to industry specific information and guidance to prevent and control workplace exposure to harmful substances at Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) - HSE.

Guidance which covers both the initial manufacture and any secondary processing of finished fabrics (such as upholstery) can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/textiles/fabric-finishes.htm.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has recognised the risks to textile workers who routinely handle finished fabrics, including those treated with fire-resistant finishes. HSE has produced a specific guidance page on its website which covers both the initial manufacture and any secondary processing of finished fabrics (such as upholstery). The guidance page can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/textiles/fabric-finishes.htm.

For Britain, AI sovereignty is about reducing over-dependencies and increasing resilience in key national strategic priorities, so we secure greater control and greater leverage over the issues that matter most. We will continue to use the best technology and welcome inward investment because that is what our public services and economy demand.

We have moved quickly to strengthen the UK's sovereign AI capabilities, including launching the £500m Sovereign AI Fund, which since April has already taken equity stakes in three promising British frontier AI companies and supported six more with access to national compute.

We recently announced a £1.1 billion AI Hardware Plan to back British firms developing the chips and computing power behind AI. This includes our Advance Market Commitment to buy novel inference chips, which will equip the UK’s AI Research Resource (AIRR) with powerful next generation chips. Dedicated AIRR capacity supports the AI Security Institute and the Sovereign AI Unit, including guaranteed resource for mission-critical AI safety research, and strategically selected UK AI startups. Over 500 UK projects have already been supported through AIRR infrastructure, and we are further investing £2 billion to expand our public compute offering.

HMG recognises the importance of compute to the UK’s digital economy and national security. HMG takes a balanced approach to cloud services, ensuring security and resilience while benefiting from global innovation. This is underpinned by UK security standards, data protection law and established commercial frameworks.

Domestically, HMG is accelerating UK data centre delivery through AI Growth Zones. The UK has a range of economic security tools to manage risk, including the National Security and Investment Act 2021.

HMG keeps risks under review, adapting its approach as needed, as is the case with the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill.

HMG recognises the importance of compute to the UK’s digital economy and national security. HMG takes a balanced approach to cloud services, ensuring security and resilience while benefiting from global innovation. This is underpinned by UK security standards, data protection law and established commercial frameworks.

Domestically, HMG is accelerating UK data centre delivery through AI Growth Zones. The UK has a range of economic security tools to manage risk, including the National Security and Investment Act 2021.

HMG keeps risks under review, adapting its approach as needed, as is the case with the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill.

We will continue to build on the work of discussing AI safety, adoption and governance through existing multilateral and multi-stakeholder initiatives, such as those I referred to before, including the G7, the OECD Global Partnership on AI and the Council of Europe, among others. That is the approach we will be taking forward. My noble friend raises very important questions, and in respect of online safety, our online safety regulator co-operates closely with other regulators to look at the implications of AI for online safety and will continue to do so.

The UK continues to value the role of UN agencies, mandate holders, special rapporteurs, and others who provide expertise, coordination and leadership in support of international-agreed objectives and issues of concern. However, it is vital that they do so in a way that is independent, objective, and maintains the confidence of Member States. For example, along with several other countries, the UK has raised concerns about a series of comments made by the Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and we have asked that the comments of the Special Rapporteur be urgently investigated against the Code of Conduct for her post, and for action to be taken to restore the confidence of the international community in the independence and objectivity of the Special Rapporteur system.