Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment has he made of the adequacy of competition within the market for building insurance for residential buildings owned by (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) September 2022 report on insurance for multi-occupancy buildings confirmed that premiums have increased, on average, by 125% for the total population of multi-occupancy buildings from 2016-21.
The FCA review also found that the number of insurers prepared to underwrite buildings insurance for multi-occupancy buildings has fallen in recent years. The FCA highlighted that the remaining insurers may have limited competitive incentives, possibly resulting in higher prices for customers. Issues regarding competition in the insurance sector should be reported to the FCA and Competition and Markets Authority.
The Government is taking steps to ensure leaseholder insurance costs are fairer, and more transparent.
The insurance industry is working on a potential scheme to bring down the most extreme premium increases in buildings with identified fire safety issues later this summer, which the Government is monitoring closely.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the median increase in building insurance on residential flats in England in the last 12 months.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) September 2022 report on insurance for multi-occupancy buildings confirmed that premiums have increased, on average, by 125% for the total population of multi-occupancy buildings from 2016-21.
The FCA review also found that the number of insurers prepared to underwrite buildings insurance for multi-occupancy buildings has fallen in recent years. The FCA highlighted that the remaining insurers may have limited competitive incentives, possibly resulting in higher prices for customers. Issues regarding competition in the insurance sector should be reported to the FCA and Competition and Markets Authority.
The Government is taking steps to ensure leaseholder insurance costs are fairer, and more transparent.
The insurance industry is working on a potential scheme to bring down the most extreme premium increases in buildings with identified fire safety issues later this summer, which the Government is monitoring closely.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to help decrease the cost of building insurance for leaseholders; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) September 2022 report on insurance for multi-occupancy buildings confirmed that premiums have increased, on average, by 125% for the total population of multi-occupancy buildings from 2016-21.
The FCA review also found that the number of insurers prepared to underwrite buildings insurance for multi-occupancy buildings has fallen in recent years. The FCA highlighted that the remaining insurers may have limited competitive incentives, possibly resulting in higher prices for customers. Issues regarding competition in the insurance sector should be reported to the FCA and Competition and Markets Authority.
The Government is taking steps to ensure leaseholder insurance costs are fairer, and more transparent.
The insurance industry is working on a potential scheme to bring down the most extreme premium increases in buildings with identified fire safety issues later this summer, which the Government is monitoring closely.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what (a) financial and (b) legal support his Department offers leaseholders living in residential buildings below 11 metres that require remediation work.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 172424 on 29 March 2023.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what evidential basis his Department uses to estimate the number of residential buildings below 11 metres that require remediation work.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 172424 on 29 March 2023.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the number of residential buildings 11 metres or below that require remediation work in (a) the London Borough of Hounslow, (b) London and (c) England.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 172424 on 29 March 2023.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment has he made of the adequacy of the average length of time taken to remediate building safety faults on residential flats.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Building safety faults can be wide ranging and varied in scope, and projects can vary considerably in the time taken to complete.
From the outset of the Building Safety Fund, the Department has engaged industry. We have provided direct expert support to projects, run a series of market engagements, and have also supported industry bodies such as the Construction Leadership Council.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department have made of the impact of (a) labour shortages and (b) the supply chain on the length of time taken to remediate building safety faults on residential flats.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Building safety faults can be wide ranging and varied in scope, and projects can vary considerably in the time taken to complete.
From the outset of the Building Safety Fund, the Department has engaged industry. We have provided direct expert support to projects, run a series of market engagements, and have also supported industry bodies such as the Construction Leadership Council.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to provide a funding grant to the Inter Faith Network UK for 2023-2024; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
This department has provided funding to the Inter Faith Network since 2006/07. There are currently no plans for the department to fund the organisation in 2023/24.
The Government considers a wide range of factors when deciding which projects to fund.
The department monitors all funded organisations throughout the lifecycle of their project for the purposes of assessing delivery against workplan targets, compliance and evaluation, in line with best practice for the management of public funding.
Details of ministerial and senior official meeting are published on gov.uk.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on the number of (a) appointments made with and (b) calls made to the Leasehold Advisory Service.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
LEASE is a specialist advisory body funded by the Department to provide free information and advice to leaseholders and park homeowners in England and Wales, including on building safety issues. LEASE offers a comprehensive range of online resources, as well as a telephone and email enquiry service - with more than one million customers accessing its websites last year and responding to just over 28,000 individual telephone and written enquiries.