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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason BRE group will continue to certify (a) cladding, (b) insulation and (c) other products.

The BRE is a conformity assessment body accredited by the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS). Following the criticisms of BRE in the Grenfell Inquiry, UKAS has conducted additional assessments of the BRE, and we are working closely with UKAS to understand how BRE intends to address the identified failings.

Government has published a construction product reform green paper which includes proposals on the capacity, competence and oversight of conformity assessment bodies. We are addressing these criticisms through the government response to recommendations as set out in the green paper published on 26 February 2025, as part of measures for system wide reform. Our proposals include new requirements and obligations on conformity assessment bodies, including that they must obtain a licence from the national regulator, and be subject to a statutory code. This will improve confidence in the rigour and competency of conformity assessment bodies. Following this consultation, we will set out the government’s initial response and our next steps for long term reform.