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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether (a) social tenants and (b) leasehold tenants will be liable for the cost of remedial fire safety in a block of flats housing both groups which is owned by a Housing Association.

The government has consistently made clear that building safety is the responsibility of the building owner. Government intervention to provide funding for the removal of unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding is wholly exceptional, based on the unparalleled fire risk ACM poses.

Government intervention does not remove responsibility for overall building safety from the building owners, and if other fire safety risks are uncovered they must remedy them. Building owners should consider all routes to meet costs, protecting residents where they can – for example through warranties and recovering costs from contractors for incorrect or poor work. The government consulted between June and July on building safety reforms and sought views on ways in which remediation costs could be mitigated. We are considering responses currently and will set out our conclusions by the end of the year.