§ Sir Brandon Rhys Williamsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he still plans to go ahead with the proposals to apply the national budding regulations to inner London.
§ Mr. GowYes, though our plans have changed slightly. My predecessor announced in April that the Government had decided to extend the national system of building regulations to inner London, in order to achieve consistency of building control practice throughout England and Wales. The then intention was to prepare regulations to this end as soon as possible after the new national regulations had been introduced, but to leave the enforcement of the new regulations in the hands of the Greater London council.
However, the Government's new commitment to abolish the GLC means that this timing would no longer be ideal, because it would mean a further change in the operation of the system when the council disappears. We have therefore decided to postpone the extension of the national regulations to inner London until the date of the GLC's abolition when we should be able to achieve a harmonisation of the building control system in England and Wales.