Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Building Safety Regulator.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has a range of duties, including facilitating safety in higher-risk buildings (HRBs), keeping the safety and standards of all buildings under review and facilitating improvement in competence across industry.

The introduction of the BSR in 2023 has led to demonstrable improvements in the safety of the buildings it is responsible for. HRBs are now subject to more stringent scrutiny at both design and construction stages. The planning gateway process embeds fire and structural safety requirements at the earliest stages of design and construction.

The BSR has faced challenges implementing a significant shift in building safety regulation and recognises the impact of delays on the pipeline of new HRBs. In June, MHCLG announced a new phase for the BSR, including strengthened leadership, steps to address operational challenges, and plans for a new body for the BSR.

BSR performance continues to improve. Significant numbers of new build applications have been cleared, and new operating models are delivering dramatically reduced processing times. To support transparency and accountability, the BSR published performance data on 23 December 2025 and will continue to do so monthly.

Establishing a standalone body for the BSR will provide a singular focus for the new leadership to tackle this complex area of regulation. Work is underway to establish the new body through a Statutory Instrument which confirms the establishment date as 27 January 2026. We will work closely with the BSR to ensure a smooth transition from the Health and Safety Executive.