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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the National Regulator for Construction Products will have a statutory responsibility for overseeing compliance with Approved Document B.

The National Regulator for Construction Products, which is being established within the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), will oversee the construction products regulatory regime at a national level. Their role is to ensure that economic operators fulfil their obligations in bringing their construction products onto the market, a step before the incorporation of construction products into buildings. As such, this regulator will not have any statutory responsibilities concerning Approved Documents.

The person carrying out the work has to demonstrate compliance with the applicable requirements of the Building Regulations, including Part B on Fire Safety in Schedule 1, to the relevant building control body, who check building work for compliance with building regulations' requirements. The approved documents are guidance on how applicants may be able to comply with building regulations' legal requirements.

Under the Building Safety Act 2022, the National Regulator for Construction Products and the Building Safety Regulator when established will work closely together on potential safety issues posed by construction products.