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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what data his Department holds on the number of asbestos checks undertaken by councils in England in each of the last five years.

The Department does not collect the data requested.

There is no requirement for local authorities to report to central government on how they manage asbestos in their own buildings but local authorities are of course expected to comply as dutyholders under the relevant legal requirements.

The Health and safety Executive publishes a range of guidance for employers about working with asbestos and how to comply with relevant legislation. This is set out under the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR) 2012 with further guidance available on HSE’s website HSE: Asbestos - health and safety in the workplace.