PROTECTION FROM CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING

Early day motion 618, tabled 15 January 2007 by Austin Mitchell (Labour). Signed by 89 members.

That this House records its sadness at the deaths of Yorkshire school children Christi and Bobby Shepherd, killed by carbon monoxide poisoning while on holiday in Corfu; commends the campaign launched by ITV's Calendar News to build awareness of this silent killer, which results in the reported deaths of between 50 and 60 people, mainly pensioners, every year, because of inadequate ventilation and badly maintained gas appliances or the lack of maintenance of any appliances that are powered by fuel such as coal, oil, gas and wood; urges the Government to raise awareness and to promote the use of carbon monoxide detectors with audible warnings to European or British Standards, particularly by senior citizens, and to provide financial support for people on pension credit, income support and disabled people towards the annual cost of CORGI maintenance checks on gas appliances; further urges local authorities to ensure that the landlords of hotels, boarding houses and caravan camps have their premises and facilities regularly inspected to ensure that maintenance is carried out and ventilation improved; and further urges tour operators to insist that basic carbon monoxide safety measures be required in all holiday accommodation on their books at home and overseas so as to ensure regular servicing of boilers, the fitting of carbon monoxide monitors and proper ventilation to ensure that such tragedies are not repeated.

Signatures by party: Labour 51, Liberal Democrat 19, Conservative 11, DUP 3, Social Democratic and Labour Party 3, Plaid Cymru 1, Scottish National Party 1.