§ Mr. Sainsburyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the extent to which the Property Services 701W Agency is carrying out cavity wall insulation on Government-owned properties.
§ Mr. MarksWhere it is economic and practical, cavity wall insulation is carried out in Government buildings owned by PSA. The extent of the work varies across the country. It depends on location, degree of exposure and height of the building, and whether the return on available funds compares favourably with other energy conservation measures.
§ Mr. Sainsburyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he remains satisfied with the inclusion of cavity wall insulation using urea formaldehyde under Building Regulation control in view of the benefits to be derived in energy consumption and the proportion of installations which are likely to give rise to problems when the work is carried out by certified contractors.
§ Mr. ArmstrongIn certain circumstances cavity wall insulation can result in damp penetration, and it is therefore right that these operations should remain under building regulations control. However, contractors intending to insulate houses in accordance with the terms of agrément certificates do not need formal approval: under our type relaxation they need only give local authorities seven days' notice of their intention to begin work.