§ Mr. Alexanderasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals he has to make the double glazing provisions of BS 6262 mandatory; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FletcherThe Department is not satisfied the BS 6262 is adequate in all respects. This view is shared by the Department of Environment, which is responsible for the Building Regulations, and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. For example, the standard does not require safety glass to be used in large low level areas vulnerable to breakage by children. Officials from this Department and the Department of Environment are participating in the current review of the Standard in order to tighten up on these aspects.
Once an acceptable standard is available, consideration will be given to the steps that are necessary to make sure that it is observed as widely as possible. As far as replacement glass and glazing sold to the public is concerned, it is likely that approval of the standard for the purposes of the general safety duty proposed in the White Paper on the Safety of Goods (Cmnd. 9302) will be sufficient. Approval under such a duty will, we believe, prove more flexible than regulations which tend to inhibit innovation.
Whatever steps are taken, there will be no dramatic fall in the number of accidents. Any reduction will be gradual uptil the glazing in the present housing stock is replaced.