§ Mr. Howieasked the Minister of Technology what action he proposes to take on the Report of the Committee of Inquiry on Pressure Vessels.
§ Mr. BennI have considered the Report of the Committee of Enquiry on Pressure Vessels and the views of thirty-three organisations, including the Confederation of British Industry, who responded to my invitation to comment on it.
I welcome their wide support for the recommendation that a single trade organisation should represent the interests of pressure vessel fabricators. Discussions on the best way of achieving this are in progress.
The recommendation that a pressure vessel research committee should be created also attracted strong support and I have initiated discussions to consider the form this should take.
On the other hand there is little agreement with the recommendation that work on pressure vessel standards should be transferred from the British Standards Institution to a single new body. I share the general view that these standards should remain the responsibility of B.S.I., which I note has recently established a Pressure Vessel Industry Standards Committee to pursue the recommendations in the report which relate to standards.
I accept the recommendation, for which there is wide support, that a pressure vessel inspection body should be established. I am discussing this with the 18W Government Departments and organisations concerned, having in mind the interests of both manufacturers and users. It should be the aim of this body to help reduce technical barriers to our export trade.
I shall pay close attention to ensuring close collaboration between the three organisations proposed for inspection, research and standards, but do not intend to establish any new organisation with overriding responsibility for these three tasks.