Minister Timms Welcomes New National Asbestos Taskforce

A new National Asbestos Taskforce has been established, uniting a coalition of partners committed to the complete removal of asbestos from the UK built environment. This statement is issued to coincide with International Workers’ Memorial Day/World Day for Safety and Health at Work, 2026.

The Taskforce includes representatives from the asbestos management industry, trade unions, charities and campaign groups underlining that there is a shared determination across UK society to address one of the country’s most enduring and preventable public health risks.

Despite a ban on the use of asbestos in 1999, an estimated six million tonnes of the deadly material remains embedded in buildings across the UK, including schools, hospitals, and other public and private infrastructures. As these buildings deteriorate and require maintenance over time, the risk of asbestos exposure to the public continues to be evident.

Asbestos remains the largest cause of occupational death in the UK, responsible each year for thousands of fatalities. In 2023, 2,218 mesothelioma deaths were recorded, with a larger number of additional deaths because of other asbestos-related diseases, including lung cancer.

Asbestos is associated with the UK’s industrial legacy and often dismissed as an old man’s disease. However, there is growing evidence that asbestos deaths are rising among females and younger people. White collar workers, nurses, teachers, and former pupils are being increasingly exposed to this deadly substance.

The National Asbestos Taskforce has been formed to challenge this reality with evidence-based arguments. It advocates for a government‑mandated, phased programme for the removal of all asbestos from UK buildings, with early action focused on high‑risk or damaged asbestos materials.

Its objective is clear: to secure a future in which no individual is harmed by preventable exposure to asbestos.

Christine Emmett, Chair of the first National Asbestos Taskforce meeting said,

“The UK has relied too long on the assumption that asbestos can be managed indefinitely. Those who work with it know deterioration and exposure are inevitable. This Taskforce exists to bring evidence and realism to the debate and to make the case for a phased programme of removal that genuinely reduces risk.”

As part of its early engagement with the UK Government, representatives met with Sir Stephen Timms MP, Minister of State for Social Security and Disability, on Wednesday 1 April during Global Asbestos Awareness Week 2026.  At the meeting they discussed the ongoing impact of asbestos exposure and the need for a more ambitious, long‑term national approach.

The Minister, Sir Stephen Timms MP, said:

“I am encouraged to see organisations from across charities, industry, and campaign groups coming together around the shared challenge of tackling asbestos. The Government and HSE have a programme of action already underway, including changing the law, sponsoring new research, inspecting buildings, and running public awareness campaigns reaching hundreds of thousands of people. We are committed to making British workplaces safe from asbestos, and building the evidence base to allow us to plan properly for its removal in a responsible way.”

Further details on the Taskforce’s composition, priorities and engagement with government and regulators will be announced in due course.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The Independent Asbestos Task Force includes members from industry, unions, charities and wider campaign groups, including:

Airtight on Asbestos	Mesothelioma UK
Asbestos Information CIC	The National Education Union (NEU)
Asbestos Removal Contractors Association (ARCA)	The PREDICT-Meso international consortium
Asbestos Testing and Consultancy Association (ATaC)	The Society of Radiographers
Asbestos Victims Support Group Forum UK	The Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The Communication Workers Union (CWU)

Additional Quotes:

General Secretary of the National Education Union (NEU) Daniel Kebede said:

“The NEU welcomes the formation of this new task group and looks forward to working with all the partners to push for a phased programme of removal from schools, and other public buildings. With so many of our half a million members, and the children they teach, working in buildings riddled with asbestos, urgent progress is needed.”

ARCA Chief Executive, Steve Sadley said:

"ARCA welcomes the formation of the National Asbestos Taskforce and is pleased to be part of a coalition that brings together such a broad range of voices. The UK has known for decades that asbestos kills, and yet the scale of the challenge in our built environment has never been matched by a proportionate national response. The Taskforce offers a genuine opportunity to change that, and ARCA will play an active role in ensuring that the expertise of the licensed removal sector informs the evidence that goes before Government.”

TUC Lead for Health and Safety, Shelly Asquith said:

"Everyone should be safe at work, but thousands of workplace buildings contain deadly asbestos, including a majority of schools and many hospitals. Many workers don't know it’s there, and aren’t aware of the very serious dangers. Britain has the highest rate of asbestos deaths in the world. It’s time to end this national scandal. The only way to bring this awful death rate down is to get rid of asbestos in our workplaces completely. By working towards this goal together on the Taskforce, we can make it happen sooner."

Chair of Asbestos Victim Support Group Forum UK, Derek Maylor said:

“The Asbestos Victims Support Group UK witness first-hand the awful effects of asbestos related diseases on individuals and their families so we support the complete eradication of asbestos from UK buildings and every area of the built environment so that no one else is exposed to a hazard that is entirely preventable.”