§ Mr. Tierneyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set up a Government laboratory concerned with research into all aspects of wood at all levels.
§ Mr. KaufmanThe former Forest Products Research Laboratory, now the Princes Risborough Laboratory of the Building Research Establishment, has been in existence since 1925 and was until recently concerned with research on most aspects of timber. The laboratory now devotes its main effort to timber research related to construction. Other industrial requirements are being increasingly met by the Timber Research Development Association, to which the Department of the Environment makes a substantial financial contribution. The two bodies maintain close contact.
§ Mr. Tierneyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is satisfied that timber used for motorway fencing is sufficiently preserved to ensure its maximum economical use in terms of durability.
§ Mr. CarmichaelMy Department is constantly searching for ways to obtain180W an even longer life from timber fencing, despite the fact that its specification requires a high standard of preservative treatment, well above normal level.