Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Justin Madders and Nigel Adams

Monday 23rd July 2018 Commons Chamber

[Nigel Adams]

My hon. Friend raises an absolutely important issue. Leaseholders are facing massive bills over cladding following Grenfell. Families are going to lose their homes and are faced with enormous bills; we should be helping them and are determined to do so. In the private sector, remediation costs will fall naturally to the freeholder. Where they do not, we have urged those with responsibility to follow the lead from the social sector, and private companies are already beginning to do the right thing. They should not be passing on these costs to leaseholders.

[Justin Madders (Ellesmere Port and Neston) (Lab)]

In response to my written questions, various Ministers in the Department have confirmed that the majority of developers have agreed not to use Help to Buy loans to finance the purchase of leasehold properties in future. However, they have admitted that not all developers have agreed to do that, so what are the Government going to do to stop any taxpayers’ money being used in this way?

[Nigel Adams]

Of course, certain contractual obligations are already in train. We have made it absolutely clear that no more public money will be used in such a way.