§ Mr. John Wellsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if all heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment ordered by his Department conforms to the relevant British standards for safety and performance to satisfy current legislation and the need for energy conservation.
§ Sir George YoungThe Department of Health and Social Security does not, as a general rule, place orders for heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipments. Where these equipments are required for health buildings they are specified in terms of their performance by the regional or area health authorities who employ contractors to procure and instal the equipments for them.
It is customary for the Health Service to require compliance with British standards specifications wherever they exist and the Department periodically issues lists of all new and revised British standards relevant to building engineering services to assist in this.
The Department has been greatly concerned to foster all forms of energy conservation in the Health Service. Much progress has been made but considerable work remains to be done. There is a standing liaison committee between the Department and the National Health Service to further this work.