§ Mr. Michael Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what are the reasons for the delay in using the power contained in Section 61 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which amends Section 61(2) of the Public Health Act 1936, to make building regulations to further the conservation of fuel and power; why prior to taking the necessary enabling powers, his Department has circulated suggested changes rather than formal proposals; and What are the obstacles to early progress in this matter;
(2) whether he will give an assurance that the reason why the letter from his Department dated 9th April 1976, reference number BRA/668/20, contains suggestions rather than formal proposals for altering the building regulations is not because legal or drafting difficulties have arisen in bringing into force the necessary enabling powers; and what time-scale he now envisages for further progress in this matter.
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§ Mr. FreesonBefore we frame formal regulations to conserve energy, we must ensure that our proposals are technically sound, that designers and manufacturers can make themselves ready for them, and that the energy savings they would bring would justify the costs of compliance and enforcement. These considerations, rather than a legal difficulty about formal commencement which we have detected and are working upon, have led us to publish our suggestions early and informally. We are receiving many detailed comments on this complex technical matter, all of which we shall take carefully into account. At present I cannot forecast how quickly this will progress.