Hello and welcome to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry podcast with me, Kate Lamble.

This was the last week of evidence for this module, which has been looking at the way materials used in the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower were tested and marketed.

Next week, we'll hear the opening statements for a whole new topic. But in the

meantime, the inquiry was trying to wrap up loose ends from several witnesses. That means listening

to the evidence has been slightly frustrating as it jumped around from topic to topic, but it doesn't

mean there weren't things for us to learn. Staff from an independent certification body

admitted the organisation supported inaccurate claims from manufacturers, and an insulation company

held a private meeting to lobby MPs after the fire. Let's start then with the British

Board of Agremont or BBA, the organisation we've been talking about for the last few weeks.

The independent certification body advertise itself like this.

BBA certification is recognised throughout the construction industry as a symbol of quality

and reassurance. It is the vital ingredients in the provision of assurance, quality and integrity

to a plethora of stakeholders in the construction

industry. For a fee, the BBA would examine the data around a product and produce a certificate

which let designers and contractors know which standards it achieved in everything from fire safety

to durability. John Albin is the last witness from the BBA to give evidence. He held a number

of senior positions in the organisation and was involved in the production of certificates for both

the cladding manufacturer Arconic and the insulation manufacturer, Kingsburn. Arconic's Rayner Bond

55 cladding panels, filled with combustible polyethylene, have already been found by the inquiry

to be the main cause of the spread of the fire, so we'll look at that certificate first.

While the BBA's first certificate for Arconics Cladding Panels was being written, John

Album was the section head of the BBA's Materials Department.

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