Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department plans to take to tackle building owners not signing Grant Funding Agreements for the Cladding Safety Scheme in a reasonable timeframe.

The Cladding Safety Scheme guidance requires the responsible entity to provide regular updates to leaseholders and residents at any time upon their request, including the eligibility outcomes. Further milestones requiring communications to leaseholders are published on GOV.UK for applicants.

It is essential that life safety fire risks associated with cladding are addressed as quickly as possible to ensure that residents are safe and feel safe in their homes. Most applicants have signed the Grant Funding Agreements in a timely manner. For those not signing in reasonable timeframe, Homes England takes additional escalation steps to ensure that the Grant Funding Agreement is signed. This includes frequent communications with the applicant to understand potential blockers, resolve them, and if necessary, escalation to senior stakeholders for action.