Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will bring forward regulations to ensure that solar panels fitted to new housing are (a) safe and (b) pose a low fire risk.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Building Regulations apply to new building work and are intended to protect people’s safety, health and welfare. They may apply when somebody is putting up a new building, making material changes to a building, extending an existing building or altering building services. They include provisions for electrical and fire safety, including adequate resistance to fire spreading over the roof and from one roof to another.
Part P (Electrical Safety) of the Building Regulations requires work to the fixed electrical systems in homes, including solar panels, to be carried out safely to protect people from fire or injury. It should also be noted that all products placed on the GB market must comply with applicable product safety legislation. Nevertheless, our commitment to building safety and system wide reform of the construction sector means that we continue to push for higher standards.
The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced new competence requirements on anyone carrying out design or building work and also requires the safety and standard of buildings to be kept under review; Building Regulations can then be updated as needed. This mechanism offers Government a source of evidence if Regulations or guidance are in need of amendment or to reflect advances in building safety knowledge and technologies.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps Department is taking to help support economic growth across (a) Yorkshire and (b) northern Lincolnshire.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This Government is developing a modern industrial strategy to deliver the certainty and stability for business to invest and creating the National Wealth Fund to support its delivery and mobilise billions of pounds of investment in the UK’s growth industries. The Government is investing in total over £2.5 billion over 30 years in West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and York and North Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authorities to support growth and business investment. Through the Government owned British Business Bank, we are also investing over £1 billion through their regional Investment Fund programmes, including supporting growing businesses across Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.