Hatch to loft in converted bungalow

[oddballodd]

Hi. I live in a converted bungalow, there are rooms where the loft was. We now have just a small loft space. We suspect that there is little insulation up there and could do with access to put some pipework.

Question is, and I know that unless you see it it is just a guess, would the beams that hold the ceiling up be there just for that purpose or would they be structural ?

Any help appreciated