HC Deb 05 February 1968 vol 758 cc10-1
15 and 25. Mr. Gresham Cooke

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works (1) whether, in view of the necessity of improving the balance of trade, he will circularise all architects and engineers drawing up plans for buildings for which his department is responsible, to ensure that wherever possible indigenous materials are used for such buildings and the use of imported materials reduced to a minimum; and whether there are existing instructions to architects and engineers in this connection, and of what nature;

(2) whether, in view of the necessity of improving the balance of trade, he will circularise all architects and engineers drawing up plans for new Post Office buildings instructing them to ensure that wherever possible indigenous materials are used for such buildings and the use of imported materials reduced to a minimum; and whether there are existing instructions to architects and engineers in this connection, and of what nature.

Mr. Mellish

Professional officers responsible for the building work undertaken by my Department—including work for the Post Office—are already required, before specifying imported items, to ensure that no acceptable home produced alternative of equivalent price, quality and performance is available. Where it is essential to employ imported products, professional officers must use them sparingly and economically.

Mr. Gresham Cooke

Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that if a blitz were made on the subject of imported materials, such as by having plastic tiles instead of wooden floors and sloping roofs instead of timber-supported roofs and plastic pipes instead of copper pipes and so on, there could be savings of hundreds of millions of pounds now spent on imported materials?

Mr. Mellish

The hon. Gentleman must not under-rate the building industry which is a very intelligent industry. The amount of substitution already going on is quite remarkable and I pay tribute to the industry for it. What I have to ensure is that we go on with this process, making sure that we abolish as much importing as we can, although we cannot do so entirely, because we have to honour agreements with E.F.T.A. and so on.

Mr. More

Will the right hon. Gentleman ensure that the Post Office constantly tries to see whether it can find British timber suitable for telegraph poles?

Mr. Mellish

I do not know the answer to that; I will ask my right hon. Friend the Postmaster-General.