Following the Grenfell Tower inquiry report and its requirement for safe building products, Rushanara Ali, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government), has announced that the Government will extend the period of recognition of CE marking for construction products. The CE mark will continue to be available when placing construction products on the market across the UK past the planned deadline of 30 June 2025.
She stated, “… there is currently insufficient testing and certification capacity in the UK alone to provide the volume of conformity assessment that would be required were CE recognition to end. We are also clear that ending recognition of CE marking without reforming the domestic regime would create trade barriers and negatively affect the supply of products that meet recognised standards.”
She also said, “The Government recognises the role of UK Conformity Assessment Bodies in ensuring compliance of goods on the market. As part of the reforms the Government will work with UK Conformity Assessment Bodies, the UK Accreditation Service, and the wider industry to strengthen the conformity assessment market.”
“Lastly, I recognise the need for industry to have sufficient certainty to support supply chains. I can confirm that any subsequent changes to the recognition of CE marking would be subject to a minimum 2-year transitional period.”
The extension, and the longer-term future of CE/UKCA marking, will be conditional on the Government committing to system-wide reform of the construction products regulatory regime.
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