A MINISTER has apologised after changes to the rules on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in Scottish homes were delayed for a year due to the pandemic.
Housing minister Kevin Stewart also said he was “raging” when he saw a private company’s leaflet sent to homes, which told owners they “must” install the new alarms.
The company, AICO, had mistakenly been told it could use the Scottish Government logo.
The new regulations will mean every home in Scotland should have a smoke alarm fitted in the living room in order for the property to meet “tolerable standards”, as well as in circulation spaces such as hallways and landings.
They also require a heat alarm to be fitted in every kitchen, with alarms all interlinked.
Originally intended to be in place by February 2021, that date has now been pushed back to February 2022.
Speaking to Holyrood’s Local Government Committee, Stewart said: “I’d like to put on record my apology for what has happened here and for any anxiety or distress that folk have experienced either from the messaging that went out from private companies or from the failure of the Scottish Government to communicate our own messages.”
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