My Lords, in moving Amendment 13 I will speak also to Amendments 14 and 15. Before I get to that, though, I will start by paying tribute to the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay of Llandaff, and indeed your Lordships’ House, for raising and debating the important matter of carbon monoxide poisoning during the passage of this Bill.
As noble Lords will recall, in Committee the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay, explained the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning and highlighted, as indeed did other noble Lords, some of the recent tragic cases. The noble Baroness tabled an amendment that would have introduced regulations for carbon monoxide detectors in the Bill. We could not accept that amendment but it provoked a debate within government which led me to announce on Report a couple of weeks ago that we would extend our review of private rented accommodation to examine whether landlords should be required to install carbon monoxide detectors.
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Noble Lords will recall that on Report the noble Baroness tabled an amendment that would have introduced order-making powers on the Secretary of State. During our debate then I was clear that the Government could not commit to regulate in advance of the completion of the review I had announced that day. However, as I could see the merits of having the power in place should the Government decide that regulations are the correct course of action, I agreed to discuss this further with my ministerial colleagues. Having done that, I am pleased to put forward government amendments today and am also pleased that the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay, and others have added their names.
The amendments before us now differ from the one tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay, on Report in two important respects. First, the government amendments also cover smoke alarms. We decided that it would be sensible to do so given that the arguments around carbon monoxide alarms are very
similar for smoke alarms. Secondly, the amendments apply only to rented housing, whereas the amendment tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay, would have applied to all properties, including owner-occupied ones. We have restricted the scope of the amendment in this way because tenants in rented homes do not generally have the same degree of control over their homes compared with home owners and may therefore need greater protection. In addition, there is some evidence that privately rented homes represent a greater risk to the safety of occupiers than any other sector.
In tabling these amendments, I make it clear again that the Government remain to be convinced of the need to regulate in this area at this time. However, as I have said, we have decided that it would be prudent to take the necessary powers now. We will now take forward a wide-ranging and fundamental review into property conditions in the private rented sector. The review will consider very carefully the case for requiring landlords to install carbon monoxide alarms and/or smoke alarms in their properties. The review is scheduled to last approximately six months and to conclude in June 2014. As soon as possible following this, the Government will publish a report which will summarise the key findings of the review, set out government conclusions and detail the Government’s intended actions following those conclusions.
The first stage of the review will be the publication next month of a discussion document setting out the terms of reference and inviting views on a range of issues. We will also engage widely with interested organisations including landlord associations, housing charities, tenant groups and professional bodies. In addition to considering whether smoke and carbon monoxide alarms should be required in privately rented housing, the review will also look at the minimum standards tenants should expect when renting a property. This will include considering the requirements of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, the current licensing system for privately rented housing, current requirements around regular checks of electrical installations in the home and whether there is a need to introduce a compulsory system requiring that such installations are checked regularly. We will also give careful consideration to the possibility of requiring landlords to repay all or part of any rent they have received where they rent out a property that contains serious health hazards or has other major defects.
It is important that we do not prejudge the outcome of the review. The Government are seeking to take these powers now to enable us to move quickly if the review concludes that such alarms should be mandated in this sector. I hope, therefore, that noble Lords feel reassured by what I have said today and are reassured that the Government take this issue very seriously. I am very grateful to noble Lords for their intervention on this important issue which has had a significant impact in raising its profile. I beg to move.