Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the adequacy provisions in the Building Safety Act 2022 on protections for leaseholders in regards to the costs of remediation of building safety faults in buildings below 11 metres in height.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answers I gave to Questions UIN 163922 and UIN 163923 on 21 March 2023. I also refer the Hon. Member to the oral statement on 14 March 2023 and to my oral answer on 27 March 2023 (Official Report, HC, Volume 730, Column 646).
The Government has retrospectively extended the limitation period under Section 1 of the Defective Premises Act 1972 enabling legal action against developers and contractors where works completed in the last 30 years made a dwelling not 'fit for habitation'. It also enables parties to bring civil claims against manufacturers of defective or mis-sold products or if there is a breach of regulations, where these products have caused or contributed to a dwelling being 'not fit for habitation'.
Any leaseholders concerned about works being proposed in their building can seek free information and advice from The Leasehold Advisory Service, funded by the department.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the number of residential blocks below 11 metres with building safety faults in (a) the London Borough of Hounslow, (b) London and (c) England; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answers I gave to Questions UIN 163922 and UIN 163923 on 21 March 2023. I also refer the Hon. Member to the oral statement on 14 March 2023 and to my oral answer on 27 March 2023 (Official Report, HC, Volume 730, Column 646).
The Government has retrospectively extended the limitation period under Section 1 of the Defective Premises Act 1972 enabling legal action against developers and contractors where works completed in the last 30 years made a dwelling not 'fit for habitation'. It also enables parties to bring civil claims against manufacturers of defective or mis-sold products or if there is a breach of regulations, where these products have caused or contributed to a dwelling being 'not fit for habitation'.
Any leaseholders concerned about works being proposed in their building can seek free information and advice from The Leasehold Advisory Service, funded by the department.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
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 have taken to provide (a) assistance and (b) support for leaseholders and tenants living in residential buildings below 11 metres which have building safety faults.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answers I gave to Questions UIN 163922 and UIN 163923 on 21 March 2023. I also refer the Hon. Member to the oral statement on 14 March 2023 and to my oral answer on 27 March 2023 (Official Report, HC, Volume 730, Column 646).
The Government has retrospectively extended the limitation period under Section 1 of the Defective Premises Act 1972 enabling legal action against developers and contractors where works completed in the last 30 years made a dwelling not 'fit for habitation'. It also enables parties to bring civil claims against manufacturers of defective or mis-sold products or if there is a breach of regulations, where these products have caused or contributed to a dwelling being 'not fit for habitation'.
Any leaseholders concerned about works being proposed in their building can seek free information and advice from The Leasehold Advisory Service, funded by the department.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what data his Department holds on the location of office buildings converted to residential properties under permitted development rights.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The department publishes data on homes which the permitted development rights have delivered.
The figures can be found at Housing delivery Table 123.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on the number of residential blocks in (a) the London Borough of Hounslow and (b) Brentford and Isleworth constituency which are waiting for the removal of (i) aluminium composite material and (ii) non aluminium composite material cladding.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Information on the number of high-rise (over 18 metres) residential and publicly-owned buildings with Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems unlikely to meet Building Regulations is available in the Building Safety Programme data release. Figures for the London Borough of Hounslow can be found here.
For high-rise residential buildings with unsafe non-ACM cladding, the Department is continuing to work with building owners to progress applications for the Building Safety Fund. Information on registrations to the Building Safety Fund (including by local authority) can be found here, showing a total of 30 registrations in Hounslow.
Information on the prevalence of external wall system life-safety fire risk in 11-18m residential buildings in England is available here. The Department's analysis of the estimate of the prevalence of external wall system life-safety fire risk in mid-rise residential buildings is not available at local authority or constituency level.
As of 31 December 2022, a total of 17 residential buildings over 18 metres in height in the London Borough of Hounslow and a total of 17 buildings in the Brentford and Isleworth constituency have been identified as still having unsafe ACM cladding awaiting removal or have been deemed eligible for the Building Safety Fund due to the presence of unsafe non-ACM cladding but are yet to complete remediation.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the answer of 24 October to Question 64119 on Planning: Inspections, how many cases within the planning inspectorate have been waiting for a planning inspector to be assigned for more than (a) six and (b) 12 months.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
As of 26th October 2022, there were 2,751 cases that have been waiting for a planning inspector for more than 6 months, and 766 cases which have been waiting for more than 12 months.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the answer of 24 October to Question 64119 on Planning: Inspections, how many cases within the planning inspectorate were waiting for a planning inspector to be assigned at the end of (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020 and (d) 2021.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The headcount and FTE of Planning Inspectors employed by the Planning Inspectorate as at 31 December of each year was as follows:
Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
Inspector Headcount | 299 | 357 | 345 | 361 |
Inspector FTE | 263.2 | 319.5 | 308.1 | 322.8 |
The number of valid appeal cases waiting a planning inspector to be assigned at 01 December of each year was as below. The data for 2018 and 2019 are not held centrally in the requested format.
Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
- | - | 4,160 | 6,440 |
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the answer of 24 October to Question 64116 Planning Inspectorate: Staff, how many planning inspectors were employed at the planning inspectorate at the end of (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020 and (d) 2021.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The headcount and FTE of Planning Inspectors employed by the Planning Inspectorate as at 31 December of each year was as follows:
Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
Inspector Headcount | 299 | 357 | 345 | 361 |
Inspector FTE | 263.2 | 319.5 | 308.1 | 322.8 |
The number of valid appeal cases waiting a planning inspector to be assigned at 01 December of each year was as below. The data for 2018 and 2019 are not held centrally in the requested format.
Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
- | - | 4,160 | 6,440 |
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many buildings over the height of 18 metres with (a) non-ACM cladding and (b) fire safety defects are waiting to be remediated as of 19 October 2022.
Answered by Paul Scully
An error has been identified in the answer to the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Official Report, 17 October 2022, Vol 720, c.369). A correction has been issued here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2022-10-19/debates/C4E8D21A-52A0-4DAA-80AB-8D5F0DC6D29F/LevellingUpHousingAndCommunities#contribution-51382932-D6C4-40CE-A1EB-A8AC6B17FC68
Information and data on the remediation progress of high-rise (over 18 metres) residential and publicly-owned buildings with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems is available in the Building Safety Programme data release on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/aluminium-composite-material-cladding#acm-remediation-data.
For high-rise residential buildings with unsafe non-ACM cladding systems, the Department is continuing to work with building owners to progress applications for the Building Safety Fund at pace so more remedial works can begin as swiftly as possible. Information on registrations to the Building Safety Fund and the remediation progress of buildings proceeding to application can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remediation-of-non-acm-buildings#building-safety-fund-registrations-private-sector-and-social-sector.
No estimate has been made for buildings with fire safety defects other than unsafe cladding.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to his Answer to the Question from the Rt hon. Member for Leeds Central on 17 October 2022, Official Report, column 369, what the evidential basis was for his assessment that only 24 buildings over 18 metres are waiting to be remediated.
Answered by Paul Scully
An error has been identified in the answer to the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Official Report, 17 October 2022, Vol 720, c.369). A correction has been issued here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2022-10-19/debates/C4E8D21A-52A0-4DAA-80AB-8D5F0DC6D29F/LevellingUpHousingAndCommunities#contribution-51382932-D6C4-40CE-A1EB-A8AC6B17FC68
Information and data on the remediation progress of high-rise (over 18 metres) residential and publicly-owned buildings with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems is available in the Building Safety Programme data release on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/aluminium-composite-material-cladding#acm-remediation-data.
For high-rise residential buildings with unsafe non-ACM cladding systems, the Department is continuing to work with building owners to progress applications for the Building Safety Fund at pace so more remedial works can begin as swiftly as possible. Information on registrations to the Building Safety Fund and the remediation progress of buildings proceeding to application can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remediation-of-non-acm-buildings#building-safety-fund-registrations-private-sector-and-social-sector.
No estimate has been made for buildings with fire safety defects other than unsafe cladding.