§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what sources of advice on the protection of stone in historic buildings are currently available to him; and if he will list the amount paid in charges for such advice for each of the last three years. [11283]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonSince these are matters for Historic Scotland, I have asked the agency's chief executive, Mr. Graeme Munro, to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Graeme Munro to Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody, dated 20 January 1997:
I refer to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the sources of advice on the protection of stone in historic buildings available to the Secretary of State for Scotland. It has been referred to me for answer since this is an operational matter falling within the remit of Historic Scotland.The Secretary of State for Scotland has, within Historic Scotland's Properties in Care Division, a regional structure of qualified architects well versed in the conservation of stone. This skill and knowledge is put to use in the preservation of monuments in his care, and through the historic building repair grant scheme, is made available to owners of historic buildings. This advice is also available in support of scheduled monument consent and listed building consent schemes.In addition, Historic Scotland, commissions research into the conservation and repair of stone in historic buildings and publishes the findings as Research Reports and Technical Advice Notes. To date these include "Stonecleaning in Scotland—Research Report" in 3 Volumes, Literature Review and Research Summary (1992), "Proceedings of the International Conference 1992", "Stonecleaning—A Guide for Practitioners" (1994); "The Repair of Historic Buildings in Scotland" (1995), "Preparation and Use of Lime Mortars" (1995), "Line Conference Proceedings" (1995), and "Case Studies of Traditional Lime Harling" (1966).476WFurther research projects currently in progress include an investigation into "Carved Stone Decay", "The Cleaning of Granite", "Graffiti Removal", "Sandstone Consolidants and Waterproofers", "Laser Stonecleaning in Scotland" and "Biological Growths on Sandstone Buildings", and it is intended that reports and technical guidance will be published as these projects are concluded.The costs of these commissioned research projects amount to £70,180 for 1994–95, £94,363 for 1995–96, and £11,815 for April 1996—December 1996. These costs are partially offset by the income accruing from the sales of published Research Findings and Technical Advice Notes amounting to £9,069.7 (1994–95), £5,983.01 (1995–96), and £3,550.34 (April 1996 to December 1996).I hope this information is helpful.
§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what sources of advice are currently available to him on the reduction of fire risk in historic buildings; and if he will list the amount paid in charges for such advice for each of the past three years. [11284]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonSince these are matters for Historic Scotland, I have asked the agency's chief executive, Mr. Graeme Munro, to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Mr. Graeme Munro to Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody, dated 20 January 1997:
I refer to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the sources of advice on the reduction of fire risk in historic buildings available to the Secretary of State for Scotland. It has been referred to me for answer since this is an operational matter falling within the remit of Historic Scotland.In common with others, the Secretary of State for Scotland has available to him technical guidance on the reduction of fire risk in historic buildings published by the Fire Prevention Association, including "Fire Prevention in Historic Buildings and Town Centres" (published 1992) and "Heritage under Fire" (1995), and by Historic Scotland in "The Repair of Historic Buildings in Scotland" (1995) and other guidance prepared by fire brigades.Historic Scotland, on behalf of the Secretary of State commissioned, in 1995, a multi-disciplinary research project from Edinburgh University to consider "Fire Protection in Scottish Historic Buildings". The research team is due to submit the report in Spring 1997 and, after consideration, it is hoped to publish a Technical Advice Note. The University research team is assisted by a Steering Group compromising representatives from the Scottish Office Environment Department and Fire Service, Historic Scotland, the Fire Protection Association, Strathclyde Fire Brigade, the National Library of Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland and the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland. The project has been initiated as a direct consequence of the increasing awareness of the high loss to fire of Scotland's built heritage, and is likely to lead to further research on specific topics to enhance the understanding of fire risk and the means of providing increased protection for historic buildings. The cost of the current research project is £67,500 of which £40,690 was paid in 1995–96.Historic Scotland is also currently preparing a Technical Advice Note in conjunction with the Fire Prevention Association on the sensitive installation of fully-charged water sprinkler systems in historic buildings. This publication will develop and enhance the experience gained during the installation of such a system in one of the Secretary of State's own properties, Duff House. Banff, (William Adam 1735) during its recent conversion to a country house art gallery.The Secretary of State for Scotland is represented by Historic Scotland on the National Research Co-ordinating Committee for Fire Safety in Historic Buildings, set up by English Heritage to review the implementation of the Bailey Report following the Windsor Castle fire of 1992.477WRepresentative bodies on the committee are:
- Department of National Heritage
- The Home Office
- Historic Scotland
- Historic Royal Palaces
- Fire Protection Association
- English Heritage
- The Royal Household
- The National Trust
The terms of reference of this body are to meet quarterly to report on implementation of the Bailey recommendations, to collect and publish fire safety research data, to co-ordinate research based on prioritised needs and to seek research funding by pooling resources, grants from existing programmes and additional share of PES bids.Following the Windsor Castle fire and major fires in other historic buildings an internal report was prepared in 1992 by the then Head of the Works Services Division of Historic Scotland to assess the fire risk in the ancient monument estate. This resulted in the drawing-up by the Agency's professional staff with the assistance of local fire brigades, Fire Action Plans and an Emergency Procedures Manual for the most vulnerable monuments in state care and this work is on-going.I hope this information is helpful.