§ Lord O'Haganasked Her Majesty's Government:
What effect European Community legislation on standards for construction products will have on the availability of authentic materials for listed buildings in the United Kingdom.
§ Lord HeskethThe Construction Products Directive requires Community governments to ensure that construction products conform to relevant essential requirements concerned with health, safety and other matters. While for commercial reasons manufacturers will often choose to make use of European standards in order to demonstrate compliance, such standards are not mandatory.
The narrowness of the range of essential requirements contained in the Construction Products Directive should ensure that the directive is neutral in its effect on the availability of materials for use in listed buildings, except where certain once traditional materials, are now known to be dangerous. However, construction materials are, of course, likely to be subject to the requirements of a number of other Community directives which may impose specific requirements likely to affect their availability. For example the proposed 8th amendment to the Marketing and Use of Dangerous Substances and Preparations Directive (76/769/EEC) would result in a ban on lead pigments in paint.