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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that homes of the future are being built with British materials, including UK grown timber, and securing cement and concrete supply chains across the UK.

The Building Regulations do not govern material supply chains. They are intended to protect people’s safety, health and welfare by setting minimum acceptable standards for new building work, including materials and workmanship, when a building is being designed, constructed, or subject to major re-design or alteration. Statutory guidance in Approved Document 7 makes clear that materials must be appropriate for the circumstances in which they’re used and offers a number of ways to assess their suitability. Standards, materials and workmanship are enforced through the Building Control process. The Timber in Construction Roadmap supports use of homegrown timber in construction, which offers a renewable low-carbon resource, a potential to reduce emissions, create jobs and build the homes we need.