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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the of Answer 23 July 2019 to Question 279062 on Buildings: Insulation, if he will publish the full test report for the test which was planned to take place in June 2019 but which was aborted due to procedural issues.

The Department published the results of the test meeting the requirements of BS 8414 at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-test-report-mhclg-bs-8414-hpl.

Following the test the Independent Expert Panel issued some advice which is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/818184/Advice_note_on_use_of_HPL_panels_in_external_wall_systems.pdf.

The attempted test did not comply with these procedural requirements and no advice could have been issued on the basis of the attempt. The Department has currently no plan to publish the report of that incomplete attempt.

In addition, acting on advice from the Independent Expert Advisory Panel, the Government has commissioned research to support further understanding of the fire performance of non-Aluminium Composite Materials (ACM) external wall systems. The tests began on 30 April 2019 and we expect to be able to publish the research findings in the autumn.