§ Mr. Corbettasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many staff would be (a) made redundant and (b) transferred if some testing facilities at the Fire Research Station, Borehamwood, were transferred to the Fire Insurers Research and Testing Organisation;
(2) which facilities it is proposed to transfer from the Fire Research Station, Borehamwood, to the Fire Insurers Research and Testing Organisation; on what date and for what purposes; at what savings to public funds; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FreesonThe transfer in question will enable this organisation to undertake certain routine fire testing work, as480W well as research related to insurance interests, hitherto done on a joint basis with FRS. This will allow for as much effective redeployment of Government scientific staff to other research as can be achieved in the present context of tight restraint on Civil Service manpower.
Appropriate parts of the site, buildings and facilities will be transferred, on terms which closely reflect the relative contributions of Government and the insurance industry to the station's past growth.
This transfer is to be phased over some months from September 1976. It is expected that 10 of the 20–25 non-industrial staff now engaged on this work will move from the station to the organisation. Those remaining will be employed on research relating to the Department's requirements, but no one is expected to be made redundant by the transfer.