FIRE-SAFE CIGARETTES

That this House congratulates the US states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee on the implementation on 1 January 2010 of legislation for fire-safe cigarettes, which have a reduced tendency to burn when left unattended; hopes that this will be a step towards reducing the number of fire deaths and injuries; further notes that this now leaves only one state, Wyoming, still to pass such legislation; believes that the European Commission is lagging behind in the development of an agreed European standard; and calls on the Government to assist in speeding up the process.