Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2025 to Question 77524, whether he will recommend the work of the UK National Asbestos Register to the HSE in order to accelerate its work to create an asbestos census.

The Health and Safety Executive is aware of the work being undertaken by the UK National Asbestos Register and others and is exploring a phased approach to improving its understanding of the legacy of asbestos remaining in buildings by gathering relevant data, with an initial focus on developing a better understanding of the scale of asbestos in the Government estate.

This should help to provide a more objective and reliable evidence base to inform decision making and a longer-term strategy for the management and removal of asbestos.