HC Deb 21 November 1983 vol 49 cc32-3W
Mr. Spearing

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what investigations and reports have been made to Her Majesty's Government concerning the condition of load-bearing reinforced concrete structures used in systems building of tower blocks; and what are the technical differences between these buildings and the structures which were the subject of his statement on 10 November, Official Report, c. 422–431.

Sir George Young

The only such report is "The Report of the Inquiry into The Collapse of Flats at Ronan Point, Canning Town", presented to the Minister of Housing and Local Government on 14 October 1968.

System-built tower blocks differ technically from the structures which were the subject of the statement by my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Construction on 10 November. — [Vol. 47, c. 422–431.] — in that the former are heavy structures designed to provide high-density, multi-storey accommodation, while the latter are made of lightweight components, which were designed to be manhandled during construction and to provide, in the main, two-storey houses.