§ John MannTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support her Department plans to give to small glazing businesses in Bassetlaw who will not be able to afford the local authority building control fee when the legislation comes into effect on 1 April. [33511]
§ Dr. WhiteheadI have been asked to reply.
Since the middle of last year, my Department has been in discussion with the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF), regarding the setting up of a scheme for the self-certification of compliance with the Building Regulations for replacement glazing. The GGF set up a steering committee comprising key industry representative bodies, local authorities, my Department and others, to develop rules for such a scheme. These have recently been finalised, and the scheme is known as the Fenestration Self-Assessment Scheme (FENSA). FENSA is open to any glazing installer who meets the relevant criteria, and has been developed to ensure that it is cost effective. Over 4,000 prospective members have completed pre-registration forms.
I will shortly lay regulations before Parliament to authorise local authorities to accept certificates from FENSA registered installers, certifying that their work complies with the Building Regulations. The scheme currently deals only with dwellings, but will be extended to non-dwellings in due course. There will be no need for any competent glazing firm to have to pay local authority building control fees for replacement glazing in dwellings, and the costs of joining FENSA are comparatively small. I believe that the development of FENSA will not only significantly cut the costs of complying with the new regulations, but will be a major step forward in consumer protection.