Thread by @PeteApps

Lunchtime update from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry:

- Manager of Kingspan's technical advice team grilled about information given to market relating to use of combustible insulation product on high rises

This morning we've been hearing from Andrew Pack - still employed by Kingspan as its global technical support manager, based in the Middle East. He has been mainly discussing his role as leader of the technical advisor team in the 2000s

This team were the advisors who would deal with queries from architects, consultants etc about the suitability of Kingspan's insulation for projects. So the thrust of the questioning is what advice was being given to the market re its use on high rises.

Spent quite a long time this morning on this 2011 email which shows Mr Pack advising re a project in Doha that was being built to compliance with UK codes. He implies that K15 was suitable for both masonry and steel frame + had tested to BS8414 parts 1 and 2

But this wasn't the case. K15 had only passed a test to BS8414 part 1 and was therefore only suitable for masonry buildings in the combination it had been tested. So why was he saying something different to the customer?

He explained that his belief was that there was a "consensus" in the market that you could use the testing for a steel frame building so long as non-combustible backing was used. He said he got this understanding from the technical team. But that's not what the email says

"In plain and simple terms what you have written here, that tests in plural have been carried out, and include tests to BS-8414 part 2 [the test for steel frame - which Kingspan had not passed] is not true is it," asks counsel.

"Correct," replies Mr Pack.

We've also heard that he wasn't shown actual test reports, and that he agreed they were kept "secret" by the technical team, even from others within Kingspan business. Said he didn't know why, but said this was common practice in the industry.

Repeatedly explained that his belief was that Kingspan's test (in 2005) allowed its use with any cladding panel which was limited combustibility or non-combustible and that this is broadly the advice his team gave to the market.

But he accepted also that he knew the test was a 'system' approval ie, it only referred to the specifc system tested and was not more widely applicable to lots of different systems.

He has talked down his role in all this, saying it was a matter for the technical team and that he was frequently copied into emails that he didn't even read with these sorts of questions about K15. This has been tested by counsel who has pointed to quite specific examples...

... of these queries being addressed to him. Before lunch we got onto to what will probably be a substantially meatier subject: the process by which Kingspan obtained a certificate apparently giving backing for its use on high rises from LABC. Continuing with that in afternoon