HC Deb 05 February 1968 vol 758 c20
32. Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works how many approval certificates have been given by the Agrément Board to date.

Mr. Mellish

Five

Mrs. Short

That is a very brief reply. It would appear that it is not a very high output for the Agrément Board since it was set up. Does not my right hon. Friend think that more use would be made of the Board, perhaps by developers, and so on, if it had teeth put into its possibilities by the introduction of an insurance system, as the French did when they introduced their agrément system?

Mr. Mellish

I share my hon. Friend's concern about the Board. I am sure that they are good people who are doing a first-class job, but only five certificates have been issued up to date. I am told that a further certificate is due to be issued within the next few days and a further 10 by mid-April. What bothers me is that last year alone 300 new products came on to the market, which means that the vast majority of them were never tested. If the Board is to be worth while, more of us must consider seriously how we can make it effective.