HC Deb 17 October 1973 vol 861 cc161-2W
Sir John Tilney

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether in the knowledge of the Summerland and other disasters from fire he is satisfied that the present reliance on small-scale laboratory testing of materials in accordance with British Standard 476 is a realistic guide to performance of building materials under fire conditions; and whether he will implement a programme of full-scale tests of representative materials as a matter of urgency.

Mr. Channon

The structural fire precautions requirements of the Building Regulations 1972 are in the main expressed as performance standards which are related to the performance of the material or element of structure when tested in accordance with specific tests which give a realistic guide to the

HOUSE IMPROVEMENT GRANTS FOR PRIVATE OWNERS AND HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS
Discretionary grants Standard grants
Approved Approved Paid
Number of dwellings Amount Number of dwellings Amount Number of dwellings Amount
£ £ £
Macclesfield B
1970 8 1,935 65 .. 50 10,568
1971 23 9,566 93 22,219
1972 38 19,213 104 38,739
Macclesfield RD
1970 25 14,163 23 .. 19 3,230
1971 31 17,786 26 4,368
1972 38 31,966 30 8,754
Congleton B
1970 7 2,571 44 .. 26 4,474
1971 17 5,727 33 8,350
1972 13 8,352 30 10,492
Bollington UD
1970 7 3,192 21 .. 9 1,184
1971 10 5,252 16 2,974
1972
Disley RD
1970 1 65 10 .. 10 1,739
1971 5 2,244 15 2,066
1972 3 561 4 728

behaviour of materials under fire conditions. It is only in recent years, however, that plastics have been used to any great extent in the construction of buildings, and our knowledge of their behaviour is growing all the time, as indeed are the number and variety of the materials used. There is undoubtedly a continuing need to develop suitable tests and we shall be looking at this closely, particularly in relation to the findings of the Summerland Commission of Inquiry.