§ 6. Mr. Michael Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress he is making with his review of the present arrangements for preventive research into the causes of failures of design, components or construction work; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ArmstrongThe review is not yet complete. We shall make a statement as soon as possible.
§ Mr. LathamDoes the Minister share the uneasy view that there have been far too many such failures in recent years? Is he satisfied that the Building Research Establishment devotes sufficient time to exploring new technologies before they are used, instead of finding out why they failed afterwards?
§ Mr. ArmstrongI share my hon. Friend's concern about failures. Construction methods are changing and new materials are being used all the time, so there are bound to be potential hazards. I am satisfied that everything is being done to remove the potential hazards and to make sure that failures do not occur.