Location London | Website APPCOG website | |
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Legal status Official All-Party Parliamentary Group | ||
The All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group (APPCOG) is an official All-Party Parliamentary Group of the UK Parliament, co-chaired by Barry Sheerman MP, Jason McCartney MP, Baroness Finlay of Llandaff and Baroness Maddock. The group exists to raise awareness within Parliament of the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning, to inform policy making and help improve safety measures across the UK.
Contents
- History
- Events Research and Campaigning
- 2011 Report Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
- 2015 Report Carbon Monoxide From Awareness to Action
- Carbon Monoxide All Fuels Action Forum
- References
The APPG is composed of 20 MPs and Peers from across the Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Labour parties. Its official entry on the Houses of Parliament register can be found on the APPG Register.
Its secretariat services are provided by Policy Connect, an independent, not-for-profit think tank based in London.
History
The Group was originally set up to not only promote the need for greater awareness of - and defence against - carbon monoxide poisoning in the UK, but also to provide a forum for parliamentarians, civil servants, industry representatives, charities and emergency services to share knowledge and collaborate in order to improve gas safety.
In July 2012, the Group changed its name from the All-Party Parliamentary Gas Safety Group, becoming the All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group. The name change was a deliberate step to reflect the fact that a number of different fuels can produce lethal levels of carbon monoxide, not just conventional gas. Much of the Group's work is centred on raising public and parliamentary awareness of the fact that carbon monoxide poisoning can strike from a number of different fuel sources, including oil and wood burning appliances, barbecues and other domestic apparatus.
Events, Research and Campaigning
The Group holds regular events in Parliament, designed to bring together relevant stakeholders and debate key issues within the field of carbon monoxide safety.
The Group also conducts research, producing evidence-based reports designed to advise government departments on policy making around carbon monoxide safety, particularly the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
2011 Report: Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
In October 2011, following a six-month inquiry, the Group produced a report, entitled Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, which made a number of recommendations for policy and behaviour change.
2015 Report: Carbon Monoxide: From Awareness to Action
In April 2014, the Group announced it was undertaking a follow-up to the 2011 Inquiry, including a focus on behavioural insights and nudge theory. This report, subsequently named "Carbon Monoxide: From Awareness to Action", launched in January 2015.
Carbon Monoxide All Fuels Action Forum
The Group acts as a sister group to the Carbon Monoxide All Fuels Action Forum (COAFAF). The COAFAF was set up in July 2012 to act as specific forum for industry bodies and victims' charities, and works in close collaboration with the APPCOG. THE COAFAF is chaired by Steve Miller, President of the Region of London at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.