Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to Approved Document B, whether paragraph 12.6 of that document sets a different standard for cladding combustibility than paragraph 12.7.

No. Paragraphs 12.5 to 12.9 of Approved Document B give guidance on external wall construction. This guidance must be read in full and in the context of meeting requirement B4(1) of the Building Regulations 2010, which says that the external walls of the building shall adequately resist the spread of fire over the walls and from one building to another, having regard to the height, use and position of the building.