asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much asbestos fibre in million fibres per cubic metre were found, prior to recent renovation, in the Chamber and Clerks' Offices of the Palace of Westminster; and how that measure compares with the new recommended limits for workshops in the recent report on asbestos regulations and safety.

Tests carried out prior to the removal of the remaining blue asbestos above the roof of the Chamber and the Clerks' Offices were asbestos within the House of Commons Chamber and the Clerks' Offices, were below those for which accurate measurements can be made by the latest equipment—that is 100,000 fibres/cu. metre. These figures are well below the recommended limits as set out in the recent report on asbestos regulations and safety.