Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the impact of the end of EU funding on less developed regions in the UK; and if he will make it his policy to provide the equivalent amount of funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund when it is allocated in 2022.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
UK-wide funding for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will ramp up to at least match receipts from EU structural funds, which on average reached around £1.5 billion per year. Spending Review 2021 fulfils this commitment, with the announcement of over £2.6 billion for the UKSPF over the next three years, with funding reaching £1.5 billion in 2024-25.
The UKSPF will focus on restoring a sense of community, local pride and belonging across the country. The UKSPF will act as a primary lever in levelling up people and places in all parts of the UK to empower places to identify, and build on, their own strengths and needs at a local level.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to extend the ban on the use combustible materials to buildings above 11 metres in height, as well as a range of high-risk buildings.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
In November 2018 the Government introduced a ban on combustible materials in and on the external walls in new blocks of flats above 18 meters in height, as well as hospitals, care premises, and student accommodation.
In January 2020 we consulted on the proposal to extend the ban of the use of combustible materials in and on the external walls of buildings. We continue to review and analyse the numerous and detailed responses we have received and develop our proposal. We will publish a response to the consultation.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will prioritise the Government’s response to the review of the ban on the use of combustible materials in and on the external walls of buildings, which closed in May 2020.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
In November 2018 the Government introduced a ban on combustible materials in and on the external walls in new blocks of flats above 18 meters in height, as well as hospitals, care premises, and student accommodation.
In January 2020 we consulted on the proposal to extend the ban of the use of combustible materials in and on the external walls of buildings. We continue to review and analyse the numerous and detailed responses we have received and develop our proposal. We will publish a response to the consultation.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department takes to evaluate the risk of fire in buildings; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of aligning trigger height thresholds for the use of combustible materials with firefighting capabilities.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
In January 2020, we consulted on the proposal to extend the ban of the use of combustible materials in and on the external walls of buildings. We continue to review and analyse the numerous and detailed responses we have received and develop our proposal. We will publish a response to the consultation in due course.
In April 2020, the Government published the workplan for the technical review of the statutory guidance to the Building Regulations with regards to fire safety (Approved Document B). We have commissioned research for this fundamental review which will address key fire safety issues. We have already started research on trigger heights and thresholds, means of escape for disabled people, specialised housing, and other important topics. Details of the technical review are set out here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/877365/Technical_review_of_Approved_Document_B_workplan.pdf
The Technical Review will provide us a robust evidence base to make any future policy decisions.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will review the scope of the Building Safety Bill and the 18 metre threshold at which the Building Safety Regulator has oversight of buildings.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Building Safety Regulator will have a duty to keep under review the safety and standard of all buildings, not just those over 18 metres. It could fulfil this oversight duty by undertaking research, using evidence, data and intelligence to identify and assess emerging risks, encouraging learning to be shared and making recommendations to Government to improve standards when needed. This could include recommending altering the definition of higher-risk building if the conditions for doing so are met.
The Building Safety Bill has a provision requiring the Secretary of State to appoint an independent person to carry out a periodic review of the system every five years once Royal Assent is received. The 18 metre height threshold used to define higher-risk building for the new regulatory regime set out in the Building Safety Bill and the effectiveness of the Regulator in carrying out its duties must be covered under these reviews.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to publish research from the British Research Establishment on trigger height thresholds.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The research is advancing and is currently scheduled to conclude at the end of 2021.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to the consultation entitled Review of the ban on the use of combustible materials in and on the external walls of buildings.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
We continue to analyse the responses, and will be publishing a Government response to the consultation.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his planned timetable is for introducing the Building Safety Bill as announced in the Queen’s Speech 2021.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Building Safety Bill was published in draft on 20 July 2020 and has undergone pre-legislative scrutiny by the HCLG Select Committee. The Government has been considering the Committee’s report and recommendations and will introduce the Bill as soon as Parliamentary time allows. We recognise that these are important public safety measures, which is why the Government is committed to advancing the Bill as quickly as possible so that reforms can be implemented in a timely manner and residents can feel safe, and be safe, in their homes.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of applications to the Building Safety Fund have been accepted; and what proportion of those applications have received funding.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The number of accepted applications and amount of funding allocated from the Building Safety Fund so far can be found in the Building Safety Fund Registration Statistics, available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remediation-of-non-acm-buildings#building-safety-fund-registration-statistics .
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many staff in his Department are involved in processing applications for the Building Safety Fund; and what grades those staff are.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is the responsible department and the decision-making body for the Building Safety Fund. We are working with the Greater London Authority (GLA) in London and Homes England (HE) outside London to administer the fund as Delivery Partners. The GLA and HE will draw on specialist expert legal and cost consultancy support to help assess applications.