§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he proposes to prevent condensation and rain penetration in council houses and flats, following the report in its April Digest of the Building Research Establishment, showing a high incidence of these defects in dwellings inspected.
§ Mr. KaufmanThe study reported in theDigest analysed 510 failures in buildings, not a cross-section of the building stock. Of the failures analysed 24 per cent. concerned local authority housing. The analysis revealed condensation and rain penetration as the most common defects in this sector. 90 per cent. of all defects were due partly or wholly to readily identifiable defects in design and construction. A great deal of advice is available on condensation and rain penetration, as on the other defects commonly found, and publication of the 224W study should lead those concerned with the design and construction of buildings to make proper use of this advice.