415.Subsection (1) provides a power for the Welsh Ministers to make regulations requiring a duty holder for a relevant HMOs to give particular “relevant” information or particular “relevant” documents to certain persons. The regulations can require the information or documents to be provided to the fire safety authority, the occupiers of the HMO, and any other person specified in the regulations. Subsection (2) provides that the regulations may specify when and how the information of documents must be given, and the format in which they must be given. “Relevant” is defined in subsection (6).
416.This power could be used to ensure that information on the fire safety provisions and risks within the relevant HMO were being communicated to the people that need to know the information. In particular the people who live in the HMO need to be aware of any fire safety risks identified and the mitigations that are in place to allow them to make safe decisions and feel secure in their home. The fire safety authority who enforces the fire safety provisions within the Act also needs to be aware of major fire risks on the premises and the mitigations (if any) in place to reduce the risks (i.e. smoke alarms, sprinklers etc.).
417.The regulations may provide that the duty holder is required to provide some or all the information of documents only if it has been requested. The regulations may specify how requests to the duty holder for a document or information must be made (subsection (4)).
418.If information of documents are required by the regulations to be provided to a fire safety authority, the regulations may also make provision about the admissibility of that information in criminal proceedings.
Commentary on Sections Provision of information and documents relating to relevant HMOs Section 87 - Requirement for duty holder to give information and documents to other persons