HC Deb 02 June 1959 vol 606 cc7-8
10. Mr. Robert Jenkins

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what research has been carried out on the susceptibility of pre stressed concrete to damage by fire.

Mr. H. Nicholls

The Joint Fire Research Organisation of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and the Fire Offices Committee has, in cooperation with the Building Research Station, carried out research on the resistance to fire of prestressed concrete beams and floors. As a result, early fears about the ability of this new form of construction to withstand fire have been shown to be unfounded.

Mr. Jenkins

I thank my hon. Friend for that most important announcement. Will the Government now ensure that the fire-restistant properties of prestressed concrete are made more widely known?

Mr. Nicholls

Yes. The results of this work are to be published in a code of practice by the British Standards Institution, but perhaps the best compliment which can be paid to its efficacy is the fact that it has been chosen for a large new laboratory for the Fire Research Station which is designed to carry out fire experiments.