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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2019 to Question 217589, for what reasons his Department did not include timber building materials in the bespoke fire safety testing commissioned by his Department.

The Department has commissioned the Building Research Establishment to undertake bespoke medium scale tests on timber cladding panels as part of the ongoing Non-Aluminium Composite Material research.

This programme began in April 2019 and the preliminary testing concluded in the Summer. This is now in an analysis phase and the research findings will be published in Autumn. Subject to the research findings, a decision will be made as to the testing of further materials used on external wall systems, including timber cladding.