Hi Evelynne
You are right in that hotels used to be issued with a 'Fire Certificate' (1971 Fire Act). Unfortunately under the (2005 Fire Ammendment Act) there are no longer inspections from the local fire authority and it is now all self assessment.
But despite what this report says, the regulations are far more stringent in the UK and I would much rather 'risk' staying in a UK hotel than one in the rest of europe.