§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice the Building Research Establishment is able to offer to owners and lending institutions on the structural condition of Laing Easiform houses.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe BRE's report on "The structural condition of Easiform cavity-walled dwellings" is published today. Its conclusions are reassuring. Many of the houses inspected were 60 years old, but in none of them was the stability or integrity of the structure in doubt. The incidence and structural significance of faults reported appears to be no greater than those in traditional cavity-walled dwellings of the same age. The Easiform house is a robust and substantial form of construction which is unlikely to be significantly affected by minor variations in workmanship or isolated cracking in the concrete.
The report also contains much useful information on Easiform construction which should be particularly helpful to lending institutions and their surveyors when considering mortgage applications, and also to local authorities and private owners when approaching the repair and maintenance of these dwellings.