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.

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.