Terms of reference
Explains the Building Regulations Advisory Committee's responsibilities and how it will work.
The Building Regulations Advisory Committee (BRAC) was originally established in 1962 under Section 9 of the Public Health Act 1961 – now superseded by Section 14 of the Building Act 1984 – to advise the appropriate Secretary of State on the exercise of their power to make building regulations, and on other related matters in England and Wales.
The Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ Ministers (Transfer of Functions) (No 2) Order 2009 (the TFO) transfers the Secretary of State’s power under the Act (with some exceptions) to the Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ Ministers with effect from 31 December 2011. Under section 14(5) of the Act (as amended by the TFO) THE Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ Ministers will have a duty to appoint a Building Regulations Advisory Committee for Wales for the purpose of advising the Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ Ministers on the exercise of their power to make building regulations and on other subjects connected with building regulations.
The Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ Ministers will therefore have a statutory obligation to appoint a BRACW and to consult the Committee (and other relevant bodies) for its advice before making any building regulations containing substantive requirements. In practice, BRACW will be used by the Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ Ministers as a sounding board on a wide range of building regulations and other related issues.
BRACW is designated as a Scientific Advisory Committee under the Government’s Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees 2001.