The Government has made a general announcement that the deadline for when businesses across the wider economy need to use the UKCA mark has been extended until
31 December 2024.
The Construction Products Association, however, has warned that construction products fall under different regulations that have not yet been amended.
The government’s announcement stated: “There will be different rules for medical devices, construction products, cableways, transportable pressure equipment, unmanned aircraft systems, rail products, and marine equipment. Government departments responsible for these sectors are making sector-specific arrangements….”
The CPA has raised this with government and is pushing for further clarity, particularly from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which is the government department responsible for our sector. It has also asked that the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy make this distinction with the general announcement on its website.
Peter Caplehorn, CPA Chief Executive, said: “We are not out of the woods yet. The status quo is not certain, and for construction product manufacturers and the wider construction industry to prepare for any impending policy changes, the government must expedite its decision on this critical issue for our sector.
“The year-end is fast approaching, and Parliament will recess on 21 December, leaving very little time for government to enact the necessary legislation to make the policy and its deadline a reality. It also leaves the industry to face the increasingly difficult process through next year to re-test and re-certify new products where few or no UK facilities exist to achieve this.
“With the longer term in mind, we must also ask government ministers to re-consider the usefulness of the CA Mark policy, and whether a more reasonable, practical solution exists to help achieve the right aims but avoid further and unnecessary loss of time, money and resources. This continues to have a significant impact on investment, innovation, and growth of the sector.”
