Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the July 2018 report of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission entitled Pressing for Progress, if he will take steps to (a) address the national shortage of refuge space for women who are fleeing domestic violence and (b) ensure that women are not refused refuge because there is not sufficient room for their children.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Government is absolutely committed to protecting all victims of domestic abuse. I note the recommendations regarding tackling Domestic Violence, Abuse and Femicide in the July 2018 Equalities and Human Rights Commission report, Pressing for Progress.
Since 2014, my Department has invested £33.5 million in services to support victims of domestic abuse, including refuges. In addition on 2 July we launched an £18.8 million fund for domestic abuse services, including refuges. This fund, which closed to applications on 28 August, was open to all local authorities across England to bid for a share. We will announce successful projects in due course.
My Department is also carrying out a review of how domestic abuse services are commissioned and funded locally across England. The review is being informed by an independent audit, run by Ipsos MORI, of provision of domestic abuse services across England, which is enabling us to understand what impact services are having and identify any gaps. We are working closely with other Departments, organisations within sector and local authorities, to develop future, sustainable delivery options for domestic abuse services, including refuges.
We are considering the needs of children in the review, and we have been clear that we expect local authorities to conduct robust needs assessments to meet the needs of all victims when commissioning domestic abuse services, including those presenting with children.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2017 to Question 110635, on Grenfell Tower: fires, what discussions he has had with the Metropolitan Police on the timescale for (a) concluding the investigation and (b) publishing the report.
Answered by Dominic Raab
Speaking at the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s procedural hearing on 21 March, the Metropolitan Police Service’s legal representative remarked that the forensic and evidential picture about the cause and spread of the Grenfell Tower fire was not going to be complete until autumn 2018.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government has decided to retain the BS 8414 large-scale test for the use of combustible materials on the facades of high-rise buildings.
Answered by Dominic Raab
The BS 8414 test was incorporated into building regulations guidance in 2006, following a comprehensive review of that part of the regulations and a public
consultation. The Independent Expert Panel considers that the test is appropriate for assessing the potential for a cladding system to provide a medium for fire spread.
The Government has commissioned Dame Judith Hackitt to take forward an independent review of building and fire safety regulations and their effectiveness.
Any change to building regulations would be subject to full public consultation.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to ban the use of combustible materials on the facades of high-rise buildings.
Answered by Dominic Raab
Approved Document B and the guidance published by the Independent Expert Panel provide clear advice about the use of materials on the facades of high-rise buildings. Any future change to building regulations would be subject to a public consultation.
The Government has commissioned Dame Judith Hackitt to take forward an independent review of building and fire safety regulations and their effectiveness.
Any future change to building regulations would be subject to a public consultation.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to use desktop assessments to determine the use of combustible materials on the facades of high-rise buildings.
Answered by Dominic Raab
Dame Judith Hackitt’s interim report recommended that the Government should restrict the use of desktop studies so that they are only used where appropriate, with sufficient evidence and where those undertaking the assessment are able to demonstrate suitable competence. The Government will be consult on proposals to implement this recommendation shortly.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2017 to Question 109354, on Grenfell Tower: fire, what the specific fault with the fridge freezer was that caused the fire.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
My understanding is that this matter is subject to the ongoing police investigation into the fire, which is led by the Metropolitan Police Service.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the specific cause of the fire at Grenfell Tower has been identified; and what that cause was.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
According to the Metropolitan Police, a Hotpoint fridge freezer has been identified as the initial source of the Grenfell Tower fire. Advice for members of the public who are concerned about risk from their fridge freezer is available on the Government’s Product Recall website:
https://productrecall.campaign.gov.uk
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry, set up by the Prime Minister, is examining the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the fire at Grenfell Tower on 14 June 2017. Sir Martin Moore Bick, the Chairman of the independent inquiry, hopes to provide the Prime Minister with a first report by early April next year. This report will include the development of the fire; where and how it started, how it spread and the chain of events before it was extinguished.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether it is his policy to maintain the desktop study route for materials to meet fire safety approval.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The Government will consider this issue in light of the Independent Review on Building Regulations and Fire Safety, and on going building safety work.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will ensure that relevant lessons on fire prevention in high-rise buildings are learned from countries which have a good record of preventing fires in such buildings.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, led by Dame Judith Hackitt, was announced by the government on 28 July 2017.
The Terms of Reference were published on 30 August. These make clear that the Review will look at other international regulatory systems for buildings and regulatory systems in other sectors with similar safety risks.
The Review will draw upon international experience of regulatory frameworks and the frameworks covering other industries as it fully recognises the important contribution it will make in eventual recommendations made to the government.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he will consider a system of binary classification of building cladding material as either combustible or non-combustible.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The Government will consider this issue in light of the Independent Review on Building Regulations and Fire Safety, the findings of the Public Inquiry and on going building safety work.