§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent evaluation has been undertaken by his Department of methods of assessing the environmental merits of existing office stock.
§ Mr. MacleanMy right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State launched a scheme at the end of last 527W month specifically for the evaluation of the environmental performance of existing office buildings. This is run by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) under the title BREEAM. In due course, BRE will review the impact of the scheme. Property Holdings is committed to using BREEAM both in commissioning new buildings and appraisal of existing stock whenever major refurbishment is undertaken.