§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress he is making towards simplifying and improving the Building Regulations; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. StanleyLast year my right hon. Friend published Cmnd. 8179—"The Future of Building Control"—in which he announced that the Government were undertaking a radical review of the Building Regulations with a view to simplifying them and making them easier to use. We have made good progress, and in our work have had invaluable help from the Building Regulations Advisory Committee. My right hon. Friend and I are very grateful for the work which the members of that committee have done.
My Department is today issuing consultation documents on two important aspects of this review. One set of papers, under the general heading "The Form of the Building Regulations" deals with the way in which the presentation, expression and management of regulations might be improved. I believe that the proposals made there would represent a major advance and would produce shorter, simpler regulations which would be easier to understand and use and which could more readily be kept up to date. These proposals for a new form of regulations are being advanced in principle only at this stage. and are quite independent of questions of the technical content of the regulations. This aspect is the subject of the other consultation papers, entitled "The Content of the Building Regulations" in which we have taken forward our commitment to examne rigorously all the matters subject to control under the regulations with a view to achieving a more consistent cover, and removing irrelevant and unnecessary restrictions. Again, the consultation on content is addressed in this instance to principles rather than to technical details. Fully detailed proposals will be drawn up quickly in the light of the comments we receive, and I intend to carry out a further consultation exercise on them later in the year.
The consultation documents are being circulated widely for comment by the construction industry, design professions, local authorities and all other interested parties. Copies have been placed in the Library.