Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department will publish the report on the wider testing of non-ACM cladding materials used on buildings in the UK.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Acting on advice from the Expert Panel, the government has commissioned research from the Building Research Establishment (BRE) to support further understanding of the fire performance of Non-Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) external wall systems. The Department has commissioned the BRE to undertake bespoke tests on timber cladding panels as part of the ongoing Non-ACM research. The research findings will be published before the end of Autumn.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to provide financial support to leaseholders of properties with flammable cladding that are under 18 metres in height.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Government intervention to provide £600 million funding for the removal on unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding on high-rise (over 18 metres) buildings is wholly exceptional. It is based on the unparalleled fire risk ACM poses, very real public safety concerns and the abject failure of many building owners to do the right thing by their residents.
We are focusing on buildings over 18 metres as they are subject to tougher buildings restrictions, as set out in Approved Document B, including restrictions on the types of material that can be used on external wall systems. The Department is currently reviewing Approved Document B, and this guidance is currently out for consultation.
Government intervention does not remove responsibility for overall building safety from the building owner and if fire safety risks are uncovered, they must remedy them.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of owners of private blocks over 18 metres in height that have paid for dangerous cladding to be replaced in (a) London and (b) the UK.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
We will publish the number of buildings where the building owner has agreed to pay for remediation in future Data Releases.
We are pleased to report that many owners and developers, including Taylor Wimpey, Legal and General, Mace Group, Lendlease, Barratt Developments and Aberdeen Standard Investments, have agreed to maintain their commitments to fund the remediation of unsafe Aluminium Composite Material cladding.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many building owners of blocks over 18 metres in height with ACM cladding in the UK have begun the process of removal and repair work since May 2019.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Remediation progress for buildings with Aluminium Composite Material cladding systems in England, including buildings where remediation has started since May 2019 can be found in Figure 1 of the latest Building Safety Programme Monthly Data Release. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-monthly-data-release-september-2019 .
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
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 Answer of 2 July 2019 to Question 270343 on Fire Extinguishers, whether his Department's report referenced in that Answer includes the cost of installing sprinkler systems in new buildings.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Yes, the second paragraph from the executive summary states the following:
“This Final work stream report describes the findings of the research for Work stream 5 – Sprinkler provisions. The guidance in Approved Document B (AD B) currently provides that most buildings over 30 m tall should have sprinkler protection with the exception of purpose groups: 2(a) – residential (institutional), 2(b) – residential (other) and 7(b) – (car parks). The principal aim of this work stream was to produce robust evidence and data to explore the options for fire sprinklers in tall buildings above 30 m not currently requiring sprinklers.”
Please note that, since July the Department has published a consultation which outlines the government’s intention to amend Approved Document B to reduce the trigger height at which sprinkler systems would be required in new high-rise blocks of flats and asks for views on the trigger height options. The consultation is available at the following and closes on 28 November 2019: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/sprinklers-and-other-fire-safety-measures-in-new-high-rise-blocks-of-flats.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many building owners of blocks over 18 metres in height have (a) not started the process of cladding removal from affected buildings and (b) do not have a remediation plan for the repair work in place.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
This information can be found in the latest Building Safety Programme Monthly Data Release at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-monthly-data-release-september-2019 . This information is not broken down by building owner.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timeframe is for the implementation of option 2 in the the report on the scoping review of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The process to procure a supplier will begin in the coming weeks with work expected to begin in the new year.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many environmental health officers his Department (a) plans to recruit and (b) has recruited to deal with cases involving cladding.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
It is the responsibility of local authorities under the Housing Act 2004 to assess the risk of a hazard in residential housing, including the risk of hazard posed by aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding on private sector high-rise residential buildings. The powers to undertake assessments and carry out enforcement action under the Act and the Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) rest with local authorities rather than the Government. Environmental health officers are employed by local authorities. The Government has funded the Local Government Association to host a Joint Inspection Team to provide advice and support to local authorities with such assessments. This team includes environmental health officers.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities his Department has advised on their dealings with freeholders who are refusing to pay for repairs on their buildings with combustible cladding.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Secretary of State has consistently set out his strong expectation that leaseholders should be protected from the costs of remediation. My department is actively engaging with all building owners who have not committed to protect leaseholders. We are considering various options to ensure that costs are not passed on to leaseholders.
The Government is also backing local authorities to take enforcement action where building owners are refusing to remediate high-rise buildings with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material cladding. This will include financial support where this is necessary for the local authority to carry out emergency remedial work.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to take steps in cases in which freeholders refuse to pay for the replacement of combustible cladding on buildings.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Secretary of State has consistently set out his strong expectation that leaseholders should be protected from the costs of remediation. My department is actively engaging with all building owners who have not committed to protect leaseholders. We are considering various options to ensure that costs are not passed on to leaseholders.
The Government is also backing local authorities to take enforcement action where building owners are refusing to remediate high-rise buildings with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material cladding. This will include financial support where this is necessary for the local authority to carry out emergency remedial work.