THE Fire Precautions Act was brought onto the statute books in 1971.

It was an enabling act that covered every premises in the land with the exception of single private dwellings.

As an enabling act you needed a statutory instrument to specify those buildings requiring a fire certificate.

Only two statutory instruments were ever brought, places of work and hotels and boarding houses.

John Prescott, under pressure from the European Union, had to repeal this act and alter some 140 other documents where fire safety was indicated to bring in an EU standard where risk assessment was required.

And so the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 was born.

Alcohol licensing and homes in multiple occupancy, and some other minor acts that the local authority licensed, allowed semi-trained council officials to pass comment on fire safety.

The LA officers on the most part know nothing of fire, its behaviour or dynamics. Just ask them to explain the difference between a flashover and a backdraft.

But the fact is the EU have taken away from the world’s greatest fire brigades fire safety control and now it appears that the tragic gamble has cost people their lives.

Keith Isaac, Byron Drive, York