§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what training will be provided for building control officers to enable them to enforce the requirements of Part L of the new Building Regulations for England and Wales. [90803]
§ Mr. LeslieTraining of building control officers to equip them for the proper discharge of their enforcement duties is a matter for local authorities and approved inspectors. However, the office of the Deputy Prime Minister co-operates closely with these bodies and the professional institutions to facilitate training whenever amendments to the building regulations are made. Regarding Part L, my right hon. Friend the Member for Greenwich and Woolwich made arrangements for the publication of the new requirements almost a year before they came into effect, and officials gave presentations of the new provisions at many events in months preceding the effective date.
§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of new buildings constructed between July and September 2002 were built to the new thermal standards in Part L of the Building Regulations for England and Wales. [90804]
§ Mr. LeslieThe information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The new thermal standards were introduced by SI 2001:3335 and came into effect on 1 April 2002, subject to transitional provisions. These provided that any planned new building that had received building control approval before 1 April 2002, or which had started on site before that date, could666W proceed in accordance with the previous standards. All planned new buildings notified to the local authority under the Building Act on or after 1 April 2002 must comply with the new requirements. Between July and September 2002, there will thus have been some buildings being constructed to the old standards and some to the new standards. There is no centrally collected information on the proportions of new buildings in each category.