FIRE SAFER CIGARETTES

That this House welcomes the Finnish government's call for the UK and the European Union to legislate for fire safety standards in cigarettes; is concerned that someone dies in a house fire caused by a cigarette every three days in the UK; recalls that in 2005 the last year for which figures are available there were 82 deaths and 1,064 injuries, and that 3,000 fires were caused by smoking materials in the home; observes that reduced ignition propensity, or fire safer, cigarettes utilise ultra thin concentric bands in the cigarette paper to restrict oxygen to the burning end of the cigarette; regards fire safer cigarettes as an appropriate response to the persistent fire safety threat posed by conventional cigarettes; congratulates the RIP Coalition and the Fire Brigades Union for their existing work on fire safer cigarettes; and calls on the Government to take action to reduce the number of deaths, injuries and properties damaged from cigarettes through legislation on fire safety in cigarette design.