Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of exempting from VAT the fire safety works required for leaseholders under surveys deemed necessary to inspect cladding and other materials after the Grenfell tragedy.

The Government announced on 10 February 2021 that it would fully fund the cost of replacing unsafe cladding for all leaseholders in residential buildings 18 metres and over in England.

It was also announced that for low rise buildings between 11 metres and 18 metres, with a lower risk to safety, there will be new protection from the costs of cladding removal. This would be made through a long-term, low interest, Government-backed financing arrangement to pay for cladding removal, where it is needed.

In most cases, the standard rate of VAT will be applied to the removal and replacement of cladding. However, the cost of replacing cladding can be zero rated if it is tied to the initial construction of the building and the cladding is shown to be defective.