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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the risk assessment that his Department commissioned when it advised landlords to continue to carry out in-home gas boiler inspections during the covid-19 outbreak.

The Health and Safety Executive is the regulator and independent enforcer of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and oversees the Gas Safe Register under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The Health & Safety Executive has made clear that landlords should not suspend all annual gas safety checks at this time as it could put tenants at risk of serious illness or fatalities from gas explosions or carbon monoxide poisoning, particularly as people are spending all or most of their time at home. It is the responsibility of the dutyholder to assess on a case by case basis the risk of carrying out gas safety checks in a property. HSE guidance can be found here: https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/help-and-advice/covid-19-advice-and-guidance/landlords/.

Our guidance is clear that no work should be carried out in any household which is isolating or where an individual is being shielded, unless the work is to remedy a direct risk to the safety of the household. Where entry is required for emergency repairs landlords should take every possible step to minimise contact with residents and follow government guidance on tradespeople working in people homes, which may be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/guidance-for-employers-and-businesses-on-coronavirus-covid-19#social-distancing-in-the-workplace---principles.