A reference to “full testing history” in a UK government progress report can sound like an announcement that a complete public record is already available. The September 2026 progress report on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations, updated on 2 October, says something more specific: the relevant recommendations remain in progress. It separates the Inquiry's proposals, the government's policy objectives, completed consultations and work still to come.
Recommendation 14 addresses several different information flows
Recommendation 14 (Inquiry reference 113.23) asks for copies of the test results supporting a certificate to be included with it. It also proposes that manufacturers provide the construction products regulator with a product's or material's full testing history and report material circumstances that may affect performance. A third element is a legal requirement to provide, on request, test results supporting claims about fire performance. These elements do not have the same recipient or scope. The report labels the recommendation in progress and says the government accepted it in principle; its text should not be recast as a set of new duties already in force.
The government's stated aim is that performance claims, including claims about suitability for a use, are clear, honest and evidenced. It says test results relied upon when placing a product on the market should be accessible free of charge to those selecting and using the product, and that the regulator should have powers to require information about the testing process when necessary. This explains the reform direction. The progress report does not say a universal disclosure mechanism is already operating.
A closed consultation is not an implemented rule
The government published its Construction Products Reform White Paper and consulted on a proposed General Safety Requirement for Construction Products in February 2026. Those consultations closed in May. According to the October update, responses are being considered, government responses are intended later in the year, and legislation for a General Safety Requirement is intended when Parliamentary time allows. None of those milestones is the same as a new statutory disclosure requirement taking effect.
The proposed digital library is also still being developed
Recommendation 24 (113.39) concerns a digital library or equivalent resource that would give designers clear, honest and current information on construction products and safe use. It too is listed as in progress. The report says a digital discovery was commissioned for the third quarter of 2026, to be followed by Alpha testing of viable solutions. This is tangible preparatory work, but not an announcement of a completed public database containing full test histories.
What teams can check now
For a specific product and intended use, a sensible evidence request can identify the exact version, claimed performance, supporting tests, test conditions and the certificate's relevant scope. Any missing history can be recorded explicitly rather than assumed away. Fire performance evidence should be read against the intended installation and use, not expanded from one result into a universal safety assurance. These are due diligence suggestions for present decisions, not claims that the proposed UK reform has already become law.
Source: UK Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, “Progress report September 2026: the construction industry”, recommendations 14 and 24, updated 2 October 2026.
