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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Building Safety Regulator in Surrey.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is actively involved in ensuring the safety of several Higher Risk Buildings (HRBs) in Surrey. The BSR’s data for Surrey shows that:

There are 71 Registered HRBs with 86 structures.

• 12 have been directed for Building Assessment Certificate
• 1 has been Approved and 2 Refused, the remainder remain under assessment
• 6 HRBs in the Surrey region have had Investigations. Four investigations have been closed and 2 remain ongoing.
• One investigation resulted in Enforcement action being taken in the form of a contravention letter.

In terms of Building Control, the BSR’s data shows that:

• 4 Building Control applications have been received

• 1 has been rejected with the remaining 3 awaiting a decision.

The BSR continues to work with stakeholders and industry to improve the quality of applications and to drive up approval rates.