Mike Kane

At the heart of the British Film Institute’s ten year strategy, Screen Culture 2033, is a core principle for the work of the BFI to reach across the UK, so that everyone across the regions and all four nations can experience, create and benefit from screen culture.

The below table has been extracted from data that government publishes on identifiable expenditure in the regions and nations of the UK.

It shows all expenditure in 2021/22 prices, to provide a more accurate picture accounting for inflation.

BFI Country and Region Spend 2019-2022; 2021-22 prices

Whilst BFI spending in London and the South East accounts for almost 36% of its total spending over 2019-22, this is due in part to the relatively high proportion of the industry based in London and the South East (70%) and also, due to the established method of recording awards based on applicant postcode, does not capture the broader outputs and widespread impact of organisations based in London and the South East but delivering on a regional or UK-wide basis.

For example, BFI National Lottery distribution awards - such as the award which supported Parasite to reach 1.6 million people across the UK - are used to give audiences everywhere the chance to enjoy the widest possible range of films; overall, titles supported by distribution awards have generated 4.5 million admissions across every corner of the UK over the course of 2017-2022. The Light Cinema Co. received £3 million from the Culture Recovery Fund and, whilst its head office is in London, the award was used to support its 10 cinemas, 7 of which are in the North of England. And ‘Into Film’, a London-based organisation who received £24 million from the BFI over 2017-2022, used this funding to deliver Film Clubs in UK schools, reaching in the last year alone more than 3 million children at over 6,500 schools across the UK. Through its National Lottery Funding Plan, the BFI will be devolving even more funding to organisations across the regions and nations through its National Lottery Skills Clusters Fund, which will invest £9 million in 6-7 clusters across the UK to lead on skills and training in their area, making sure people from a wide range of places have the opportunity to get into the industry. The BFI also funds a network of organisations across the UK - including in Nottingham, Birmingham, Sheffield and Manchester - to lead audience and talent development work in their respective regions and nations, with £15.2 million to be awarded to 11 partner organisations over the next three years.

On 1 October 2020, the Government passed the National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) (Amendment) Order 2020 that extended the NMW to include an individual who ordinarily works in the territorial waters of the United Kingdom or in the United Kingdom section of the continental shelf.

The Government’s “Calculating the Minimum Wage” guidance has been updated to take account of these changes and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/calculating-the-minimum-wage/calculating-the-minimum-wage#seafarers.

We are currently drafting further guidance on this issue for employers and seafarers. We will publish this in due course, and will consult unions and other stakeholders ahead of publication.

The Department works closely with the Department for Transport on this matter, as evidenced by the joint appearance by ministers from both departments at a recent roundtable organised by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers.

On 1 October 2020, the Government passed the National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) (Amendment) Order 2020 that extended the NMW to include an individual who ordinarily works in the territorial waters of the United Kingdom or in the United Kingdom section of the continental shelf.

The Government’s “Calculating the Minimum Wage” guidance has been updated to take account of these changes and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/calculating-the-minimum-wage/calculating-the-minimum-wage#seafarers.

We are currently drafting further guidance on this issue for employers and seafarers. We will publish this in due course, and will consult unions and other stakeholders ahead of publication.

The Department works closely with the Department for Transport on this matter, as evidenced by the joint appearance by ministers from both departments at a recent roundtable organised by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers.

The Short Film Fund is delivered centrally by the BFI, rather than through its five regional hubs, including Film Hub North. The Short Film Fund supports projects with directors based in England and is run in partnership with BFI NETWORK Talent Executives, who work with filmmakers on the delivery of funded projects. Regional hubs make recommendations to the BFI on which projects should receive support.

Film Hub North supports regional producers in a variety of other ways. This includes the Creative Producer Lab in partnership with Film Hub Midlands, which has supported over 50 producers since 2019, including 34 based in the North of England.

Through a range of measures, Film Hub North has helped to support 73 short film production awards over the period FY 2018/19 - FY 2022/23. The BFI has identified at least nine producers who were supported by Film Hub North and received funding from the BFI NETWORK Short Film Fund, who then applied for and received further support via either the BFI National Lottery development and/or production funds for a feature film. This includes producers based across the North East, North West and Yorkshire and Humberside. However, this does not capture the full range of benefits available to producers in the North through the BFI NETWORK. Additionally, Short Film Fund funding recommendations are made based on the location of the director, not the producer, so Northern producers may receive support through other regional hubs.

Moreover, with regards to the BFI supporting producers to transition from short films to feature films: where producers choose to take this step, it can often take longer than five years, for a variety of reasons, with many filmmakers needing more than one funded short film before they gain production funding for a feature film.

The British Film Institute’s (BFI) ten year strategy, Screen Culture 2033, sets out the core principle for the work of the BFI to reach across all of our nation.

The below table sets out the number of applications to the BFI for both their National Lottery funding and their government-provided Grant-in-Aid funding, broken down by region, in the past three years (2019-2022). The table also sets out the number of awards given over each of those years, also broken down by region based on beneficiary location (drawn from postcode data, in accordance with the methodology agreed with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport).

To note, given the assessment process, applications may be made in one year, and processed or awarded in the following year. Therefore, a direct correlation cannot be established between the applications and awards made in any single year.

Extrapolated from the figures in the above table, the below table further provides the proportion of applications and awards over the three years 2019 - 2022, broken down per region.

In total, 25 local authorities submitted a request to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, to move schools block funding to high needs block funding. All schools block movement requests are reviewed against the criteria set out in paragraphs 261-286 of the ‘Schools revenue funding operational guide: 2020 to 2021’, which is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pre-16-schools-funding-local-authority-guidance-for-2020-to-2021.

Of these 25 requests, the following were granted permission to move funding from the schools block to the high needs block:

• no requests to move up to 0.50%;
• one request, from Kent County Council, to move between 0.51% and 1%; and
• two requests, from Rotherham and South Gloucestershire local authorities, to move 1%.

The remaining 22 requests to move funding away from the schools block were denied.

All decisions have been made as advised in Table A.

The Department does not collect or record information about schools’ use of restraint or restrictive practices, and does not intend to introduce mandatory reporting at this time. We trust schools to use their judgement in recording incidents involving force and, when serious incidents occur, we would expect schools to record the incident and let the parents know.

Schools need to be safe and calm environments with effective behaviour management policies and approaches that meet the needs of all pupils, including those with mental health difficulties, special educational needs or disabilities.

At times, it may be necessary to use reasonable force to restrain a pupil – for example, to break up a fight in order to protect teachers and other pupils. Wherever possible, restraint and restrictive intervention should be avoided; and proactive, preventative, non-restrictive approaches adopted in respect of behaviour that challenges.

In June 2019, the Department for Health & Social Care and Department for Education jointly published non-statutory guidance on reducing restraint and restrictive intervention in health and social care services and special education settings. This guidance aims to help settings adopt a preventative approach to supporting children and young people with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum conditions and mental health difficulties.

The Department does not collect or record information about schools’ use of restraint or restrictive practices, and does not intend to introduce mandatory reporting at this time. We trust schools to use their judgement in recording incidents involving force and, when serious incidents occur, we would expect schools to record the incident and let the parents know.

Schools need to be safe and calm environments with effective behaviour management policies and approaches that meet the needs of all pupils, including those with mental health difficulties, special educational needs or disabilities.

At times, it may be necessary to use reasonable force to restrain a pupil – for example, to break up a fight in order to protect teachers and other pupils. Wherever possible, restraint and restrictive intervention should be avoided; and proactive, preventative, non-restrictive approaches adopted in respect of behaviour that challenges.

In June 2019, the Department for Health & Social Care and Department for Education jointly published non-statutory guidance on reducing restraint and restrictive intervention in health and social care services and special education settings. This guidance aims to help settings adopt a preventative approach to supporting children and young people with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum conditions and mental health difficulties.

In previous years, school-level allocations for local authority maintained schools and academies have been published as transparency statistics in late autumn, but not to a fixed schedule.

This year we will be publishing the individual school-level school’s block allocations, covering allocations for 2019-20, in the Department’s new school funding official statistics report on 30 January 2020.

The Department already publishes detailed information on school funding, including full details of individual grant funding allocations issued to schools and local authorities, but we recognise that this information can be hard to understand and navigate. The aim of this new official statistics report is to help users’ understanding of this issue, and we are including the 2019-20 school-level allocations in that report.

This dataset will include details of more grants than in previous years, giving a fuller picture of school-level funding for the year.

The Government has introduced an unprecedented package of support for businesses that are required to close or which are severely affected by the restrictions put in place to tackle Covid-19, protect the NHS and save lives.  The Government is working closely with local authorities in England to ensure that funding can get to the right places as quickly as possible.  Business premises that are required by law to close during the current period of national restrictions since 5th January can access grants of up to £4,500 per 6 weeks of closure (Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed)). In addition, each closed business will be eligible for a one-off payment of up to £9,000 to help them through Spring. This is the Closed Business Lockdown Payment.

Local authorities have been allocated a further £500m in discretionary funding via the Additional Restrictions Grant to support businesses that are significantly impacted by the restrictions even though not required to close.  This is in addition to £1.1bn already allocated in November 2020.  Local authorities have discretion to use this funding to support businesses in the way they see fit.  For example, this could include businesses which supply the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors, or businesses in the events sector or businesses outside the business rates system, which are effectively forced to close such as market traders.

In addition the British Horse Society has issued advice for equestrian businesses during this time, including setting out loans and grants that businesses may be eligible for (www.bhs.org.uk/advice-and-information/coronavirus-covid-19/business-support-resources).

Whilst riding centres and livery yards are required to close to the general public this does not prevent access to facilities where necessary for animal welfare purposes. Employees may continue to go to work there if they are unable to work from home. Members of the public can continue to visit these establishments if this is where their horse is kept and if this is necessary in order to care for their horse. Further information on this has been distributed to all local authorities via the Office for Product Safety and Standards.

As of 31st January, there are 75 apprentices employed by the Department for International Trade (DIT) and UK Export Finance (UKEF). This is 3.2% of the total staff employed by DIT and UKEF.

The Network North paper published by the Department for Transport on 4 October 2023 sets out that we will appoint a development company, separate from HS2 Ltd, to manage the delivery of this project. We will also take on the lessons of success stories such as Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms, which secured £9 billion of private sector investment and thousands of homes. So we will harness the future growth that the station will unleash to support its development, to ensure we get the best possible value for the British taxpayer - and ensure that funding is underpinned by contributions from those people and businesses its development supports.

Following the rephasing of works at Euston announced in March 2023, work commenced on developing an affordable and deliverable scheme for the HS2 Euston Station including looking at options to reduce the number of platforms to match expected levels of service over time. This will continue under the new arrangements for Euston announced as part of Network North.

Following the rephasing of works at Euston announced in March 2023, work commenced on developing an affordable and deliverable scheme for the HS2 Euston Station including looking at options to reduce the number of platforms to match expected levels of service over time. This will continue under the new arrangements for Euston announced as part of Network North.

The recent public body review of the CAA made 24 recommendations including in relation to enforcement. DfT officials discuss implementing these recommendations with the CAA regularly. The Department published its response to the Aviation Consumer Policy Reform consultation on 27 June 2023, which included a commitment to legislate when parliamentary time allows to provide the CAA with additional administrative powers. The Department will work closely with the CAA on the design of those powers to make sure they are effective and proportionate. A review of safety enforcement powers last took place in 2022; further work is needed to evaluate properly and fully the available options and to consider any additional engagement or consultation needed to understand the implications of any changes to current policy. Any changes agreed will be implemented as part of our joint DfT CAA rulemaking programme.

The Department has been clear with industry partners that they should ensure passengers receive the best possible service and are provided with the support they need in the event of disruption.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is responsible for ensuring that airlines are meeting their obligations under the legislation that sets out air passenger rights. It continues to monitor industry performance, and will take action where required.

It is very important that passengers understand their rights. This is why the Department published the Aviation Passenger Charter in July 2022. The Charter provides passengers with information needed for each stage of their journey, including if something goes wrong.

We have invested record amounts into NHS mental health services committing £2.3 billion a year compared to four years ago for the expansion and transformation of mental health services in England by 2024.

This has enabled 2 million more people to access NHS mental health support.

Specifically, we invested £15.5 billion in mental health across 2022/23, representing 24% more than in 2018/19 and helping to:

• Grow the mental health workforce by an additional 27,000 staff
• Invest in up to 100 new mental health ambulances over 2 years with £7 million funding
• Ensure emergency mental health support through NHS111 available everywhere in England by April 2024

The Department funds research for the health and care system through the National Institute for Health and Social Care (NIHR). The NIHR has no immediate plans to encourage researchers to move into that specific area - though our research funding programmes are open and we would welcome applications in any area, including low carbon inhalers. The NIHR has also previously issued a cross-programme call for research into the evaluation of a range of interventions and services to support the delivery of a more sustainable United Kingdom health and care system and is considering how to support further research in this area in future.

The National Health Service has set out the NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap, a series of milestones to help suppliers align with the NHS’ net zero ambitions. The first milestone, implemented in April 2022, requires that all NHS procurements include a minimum 10% net zero and social value weighting.

The second milestone, implemented on 1 April 2023, requires that suppliers bidding for any new contract above £5 million per annum publish a Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) for emissions. This requirement will be extended to all procurements from April 2024.

NHS England has also recently launched the Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment. This online voluntary self-assessment and reporting tool allows suppliers to understand how to align with the NHS net zero and sustainability ambitions.

The National Health Service remains committed to reducing the carbon impact of inhalers. As part of all inhaler prescriptions, structured medication reviews and asthma reviews, consideration should be given to moving patients to lower carbon options, where it is clinically appropriate to do so.

NHS England has worked with key partners, industry representatives, patient groups, and clinicians to develop a package of guidance and resources to support improved respiratory disease management and shared decision-making on inhaler choice.

NHS England makes annual decisions on which new specialised treatments should be routinely commissioned. The decisions are based on advice from the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group, which includes of doctors, health experts and patient representatives and taken by the NHS England Board.

Treatments are grouped into five levels of priority, with those of the highest relative clinical benefit for patients and the lowest relative cost classified as level one and treatments with the lowest relative clinical benefit and highest relative cost classified as level five. The outcome of the latest prioritisation round is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/october-2022-prioritisation-decisions/

Human rights defenders make an essential contribution to the promotion of the rights of their fellow citizens. The UK Government has a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India and we discuss all elements of our relationship including issues where we have them. These topics were among issues discussed by Lord [Tariq] Ahmad, Minister for South Asia, with the Government of India, leaders of faith groups and others during his recent visit to India (27-31 May).

The UK is a strong supporter of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and calls for places of worship to be respected. We condemn the violence at the Church of Gethsemane on 19 March. Israel must ensure those responsible for attacks on Christians are held to account. We value the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan's important role as custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem. The Foreign Secretary emphasised the importance of all parties respecting the historic Status Quo arrangements at Jerusalem's holy sites during Israeli Foreign Minister Cohen's recent visit to London and in my statement on 7 April.

The UK's humanitarian response is focused on early funding to the UN and partner humanitarian organisations in Ukraine, as well as a commitment to fund NGOs through UK Aid Match funding to the DEC Appeal. We expect that a significant proportion of UK humanitarian funding to UN agencies operating in Ukraine will be disbursed to Ukrainian NGOs as the UN often partner with local NGOs to help deliver humanitarian assistance. The UN and local NGOs also often work together through UN led humanitarian co-ordination structures in country. For example, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Ukraine is increasing their efforts to reach Ukrainian NGOs and encourage them to apply to the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund either individually or through consortium.

Hong Kong's Mandatory Provident Fund Authority is unfairly disrupting people's livelihoods by refusing to accept the BN(O) visa when Hong Kongers apply for early withdrawal of their pensions. This is preventing Hong Kongers from accessing funds they are entitled to. The Government has raised our concerns with the relevant Hong Kong authorities.

As of 31 December 2019, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) employed 112 apprentices, of whom 62 work for our Trading Fund, FCO Services. We expect a further 51 staff to enrol on an apprenticeship by 31 March 2020.

As first-time buyers tend to buy smaller (and therefore cheaper) properties, the Help to Buy: ISA’s property price cap of £250,000 for properties outside London (£450,000 within London) allows the Government to target support more precisely at the people the scheme is intended to help.

While the Government keeps all savings policy under review, individuals with a Help to Buy: ISA can transfer their savings to a Lifetime ISA without incurring any penalties. The Lifetime ISA allows first-time buyers to benefit from the Government bonus when purchasing properties up to £450,000 anywhere in the UK.

Further information on the Lifetime ISA together with a comprehensive list other forms of home purchase support schemes can be found on the Government’s website below:

https://www.ownyourhome.gov.uk/

The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) receives it.

Consequences for not complying with paying the NMW can include fines of 200% of the arrears, public naming and, for the worst offences, criminal prosecution.

HMRC have received no complaints in respect of non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) (Amendment) Order 2020 since its introduction on 1 October 2020.

HMRC are undertaking a range of activities to highlight the change in the law to workers who are likely to be affected by it. HMRC have sent letters to employers across the UK to communicate the change in the law and are producing a series of multi-lingual leaflets to be distributed to workers to encourage them to come forward and make a complaint, if they think they have not been paid at least the National Minimum Wage.

Rental payments are not typically recorded on an individual’s credit file.

However, the Government identified that rental data could be used to contribute to the overall picture of a tenant’s financial position if it were recorded and shared in the same way as other credit payments.

That is why in 2018 the Government launched the Rent Recognition Challenge. This £2 million prize fund challenged firms to develop applications that enable rental tenants to record and share their rental payment data with lenders and credit reference agencies (CRAs) with the aim to help them boost their credit scores, access credit and get on the housing ladder.

The three winners of the challenge, CreditLadder, Bud and RentalStep, are now all using technology to verify and record tenants’ rental payments, which includes apps for borrowers to download and use. Since launching their rent recognition service, CreditLadder has recorded more than £250 million in users’ rental payments and Bud continue to work with large lenders such as HSBC.

Where a tenant who has chosen to have their rental payment data shared with a credit reference agency is in arrears, it could have a negative impact on their credit history and may restrict them from gaining access to credit in the future.

To ensure renters can continue to afford their housing costs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government has put in place an unprecedented package of support. These measures include increasing Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit and a significant investment in the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) of nearly £1 billion this financial year. For those who require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments funding is available.

Mortgage holidays have provided support for borrowers to manage their finances during a period of uncertainty. Borrowers will still need to repay the full balance of their loan, and will continue to accrue interest during the payment holiday, unless the lender has indicated otherwise. There are various options for managing this, for example, by increasing their remaining monthly payments, or by adding an extension to the term. Borrowers should talk to their lender to understand the options they offer.

The aviation sector currently contributes to the cost of public services through Air Passenger Duty (APD). The government has committed to consult on aviation tax reform and will provide an update on timing in due course.

Our humanitarian response has been developed in close consultation with the government of Ukraine and we will continue to support those who wish to come to the UK as a result of the current situation.

The Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) allows Ukrainian citizens and their family members, including non-Ukrainian nationals, to come to the UK and is free to apply. Those who are eligible will receive an official permission letter from the Home Office that will enable their travel to the UK.

Third country nationals can apply for visas to come to the UK in the usual way.

The rapidly changing landscape of international travel health measure requirements has placed considerable pressure on maintaining the technical development of the Passenger Locator Form; therefore, translation of the form has not been possible.

Each language added to the system increases the technical development time required, meaning the system could not be accurately maintained given the pace of policy changes as we have dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic.

We have though introduced a guide to support the completion of the PLF which has been translated into 22 languages and is available on GOV.UK. An animated video to support guidance on how to complete the Passenger Locator Form is also in production. This will be placed on GOV.UK and social media platforms.

We will look to introduce translation of the PLF in the future, however this will be dependent on a long-term stable policy for it across the 4 nations of the United Kingdom given the devolution of public health regulations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

There is not a specific patient consent process at registration which seeks to access a claimant’s medical records at this stage in the asylum process.

Individuals seeking asylum can be asked to complete a medical consent form at any stage in the asylum process where a specific issue or a concern is raised. This can be for a number of reasons which are usually related to safeguarding a vulnerable individual.

In terms of sharing information, all asylum claimants are made aware we may share information with other UK government departments or agencies, including the National Health Service, local authorities, asylum authorities of other countries, international organisations or other bodies. This is to enable us and other organisations to carry out their functions, including the prevention and detection of crime.

Claimants are also informed we do not disclose, to their own country, the fact they have claimed asylum in the UK, but we may share some information, for example, to help obtain travel documentation if their claim is refused.

We have recently updated our guidance on disclosure of information in asylum claims and it is available on gov.uk at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/disclosure-of-information-relating-to-asylum-applications

To ensure staff working in all asylum accommodation have the skills and experience for the role the providers have a training programme as required by the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts (AASC). Additionally, employees are subject to pre employment checks.

The contracts are published and the requirements of the contract are set out in the Statement of Requirements, this includes provisions around training and the training programme for those with face-to-face contact with our customers.

The Provider must fully equip and train staff (including volunteers) to ensure they are able to fulfil their roles and ensure appropriate and sufficient security provisions are made for all staff undertaking face-to-face activities. Those with face to face contact must cover the following:

• Ethnic diversity and cultural awareness
• Suicide and self-harm awareness and prevention
• Basic First Aid
• Gender based violence
• Fire Safety
• Health and Safety
• Vicarious Trauma
• Unconscious Bias
• Counter Terrorism
• Modern Slavery

As a minimum, provider staff should receive refresher training on the requirements listed above annually (i.e. refresher training completed every twelve (12) months), or more regularly if required.

To ensure staff working in all asylum accommodation have the skills and experience for the role the providers have a training programme as required by the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts (AASC). Additionally, employees are subject to pre employment checks.

The contracts are published and the requirements of the contract are set out in the Statement of Requirements, this includes provisions around training and the training programme for those with face-to-face contact with our customers.

The Provider must fully equip and train staff (including volunteers) to ensure they are able to fulfil their roles and ensure appropriate and sufficient security provisions are made for all staff undertaking face-to-face activities. Those with face to face contact must cover the following:

• Ethnic diversity and cultural awareness
• Suicide and self-harm awareness and prevention
• Basic First Aid
• Gender based violence
• Fire Safety
• Health and Safety
• Vicarious Trauma
• Unconscious Bias
• Counter Terrorism
• Modern Slavery

As a minimum, provider staff should receive refresher training on the requirements listed above annually (i.e. refresher training completed every twelve (12) months), or more regularly if required.

The Homes for Ukraine Scheme and corresponding guidance is kept under review. The most up to date guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-councils.

The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets. We will open round two in Spring 2022 and will share further details in due course.

The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets. We will open round two in Spring 2022 and will share further details in due course.

The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets. We will open round two in Spring 2022 and will share further details in due course.

This Government has committed £5.1 billion of grant funding through the Building Safety Fund for the removal and replacement of unsafe cladding on residential buildings over 18 metres. Building owners and industry should make buildings safe without passing on costs to leaseholders and we are introducing new measures that will legally require building owners to prove they have tried all routes to cover costs.

The Secretary of State is looking very closely at this issue to make sure that everything possible is being done to support leaseholders.

The Government remains committed to protecting leaseholders from unaffordable costs, who bought their flats in good faith and are innocent parties. Further detail on the support offer for leaseholders in residential buildings of 11-18 metres will be released when all options have been fully considered.