Minister 'talks out' Torbay MP's Bill home for smoke alarms

The Herald Express of South Devon reports the following:-

PLANS to make it a legal requirement for smoke alarms to be fitted in rented properties have been blocked by the Government.

Lib Dem MP for Torbay Adrian Sanders (pictured), who was seeking to introduce the new law, has expressed his disappointment after it was "talked out" by a minister.
It means the proposals effectively go to the bottom of the pile, and have virtually no chance of coming back because of lack of parliamentary time.
But Mr Sanders has vowed to continue fighting for the measure, and is seeking a meeting with ministers to overcome their concerns.
Mr Sanders said: "It's terribly disappointing the Government have taken this hardline regulatory line which is an ideological position, which just doesn't work when you talk about people's lives.
"Sometimes it's needed to protect the vulnerable."

Mr Sander's efforts follow the deaths of Stephanie Wojak and Ben McAuliffe in the Ellacombe blaze in 2009.
The house in Ellacombe Church Road where the children lived with Gill and Mike Wojak and their son Ricky did not have a fire alarm.
Following the tragedy it was revealed that 25 per cent of the Riviera Housing Trust homes, 690 properties, did not have fire alarms at the time.
It had planned to install smoke detectors in the remaining 25 per cent of its properties as part of a major home improvement programme, which it brought forward immediately.
Mr Sanders wants to ensure that there are working "hard-wired" fire safety devices in all rented properties at the start of a tenancy.
This would be alongside the existing legal requirements for gas and electricity checks, and an energy performance certificate.
The backbencher, who is a long-time campaigner for smoke alarms, suggested instead of creating new regulations, the EPC could be downgraded to a guideline, and the other requirements could be bundled into one and so actually reducing red-tape.
Mr Sanders told MPs that the plan, which had the backing of Devon fire chiefs, would save dozens of lives and prevent thousands of injuries every year. Speaking at the Bill's second reading debate, Mr Sanders warned the Government: "The bottom line here is that regulations save lives, ideological objections take lives.
"It's an interesting test for the coalition because that divide goes to the heart of what divides most Liberal Democrats from most Conservatives. Is the minister big enough to bridge that divide?"
His Bill was supported by Tory MP for Totnes Dr Sarah Wollaston and Shadow housing minister Alison Seabeck.