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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of supply disruption resulting from the Building Safety Regulator approval backlog on the cost of (a) construction materials and (b) housing delivery.

The BSR is a key delivery partner in supporting government priorities, including the delivery of 1.5 million homes. We recognise that delays can have a significant impact across the construction sector, and we are committed to ensuring homes are delivered safely and quickly and investment opportunities are maximised.

Currently 154 New build Gateway 2 applications currently sit with the BSR, amounting to c. 29,000 homes, including c.15,000 in London.

To address these challenges on 30 June MHCLG announced significant changes marking a new phase of operations for the BSR, including addressing operational challenges, strengthening leadership and the intention to move the BSR from the HSE into a new standalone body.

On 4 August 2025, the BSR launched a new Fast Track Innovation Unit. This will significantly accelerate the determination of building control approval applications initially for new Higher-Risk Buildings (HRB) including those relevant to new affordable housing. This Unit aims to make a final decision within 65 days of receipt of an application. Of the 17 decisions going through this system as of 29 August 2025, 10 are ahead of internal milestones to meet this target, and the other 7 are on track.

Other reforms include improved communication with applicants and plans for an account manager model, granting approvals with requirements, and changes to allow Class 2 RBIs to handle some lower risk work, freeing up Class 3 capacity. To support this BSR will recruit over 100 new staff to strengthen capacity by the end of the year.

Combined MHCLG, BSR and Industry deep dives and BSR engagement with Tier 1 developers via the CLC working group are helping identify further improvements. Recently the CLC published new guidance to support successful submissions.

These changes will of course take time to take full effect, but the early signs are encouraging. I am clear that my department and the BSR should continue to work closely with the sector to ensure applications can be processed quickly without compromising safety.

On your question regarding potential delays as a result of the regulatory transition, the BSR and MHCLG are working closely together to ensure that the transition does not impact day to day delivery.