News

Civil servant’s non-committal reply to fire safety query was typical, Grenfell inquiry hears

By 2022-02-18T11:51:00

Sarah Colwell 3

Brian Martin was responding to query on ’poorly drafted’ clause in official guidance which appeared to permit use of combustible cladding in tall buildings

An ambiguous reply by a senior figure at the housing ministry to a question on whether ACM panels could be used in tall buildings was a typical response to fire safety queries, the Grenfell Inquiry was told.

Building Research Establishment (BRE) scientist Sarah Colwell said she was “used to seeing the style” of Brian Martin’s non-committal explanation of a confusing passage in official guidance dealing with cladding systems.

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