§ 12. Mr. Boydenasked the Minister of Public Building and Works what devices the Building Research Station has evolved to enable work on house building to proceed in adverse weather conditions; and what steps he is taking to see that these new techniques are more widely adopted.
§ Mr. SharplesOver the past few years the Building Research Station has carried out research on ways of ensuring continuity of building work in winter or 186 bad weather, and has published the results both in its own publications and in building trade journals.
My own Department has issued advisory leaflets on the technique of bricklaying and concreting in cold weather, and these are obtainable from the Stationery Office. I am sending copies to the hon. Gentleman.
More research is needed, and our Directorate General of Research and Development will be co-ordinating further work on these problems.
§ Mr. BoydenCan the Parliamentary Secretary say why the propaganda has been so unsuccessful and why building goes on in Canada and Russia, for example, through much harder winters than we have? Will he consider giving financial incentives to the adaptation of measures which can be used?
§ Mr. SharplesI think that that raises wider issues than are raised in the Question. As I have said, we recognise that more research into this problem is needed, and we propose, through our Director-General of Research and Development, to give help in that respect.
§ Mr. DugdaleThe hon. Gentleman says that wider research is needed, but surely one must know why it is that this can be done in winter in other countries whereas the moment the slightest quantity of moisture is precipitated here all outside building operations stop.
§ Mr. SharplesWe need further information about this matter. After all, conditions in different countries vary. What may be an economic proposition in a country like Canada may not be an economic proposition here.