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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has issued for home owners on the risk of wall tie corrosion.

Statutory guidance to the Building Regulations in Approved Document A Structure states that wall ties should be made of stainless steel (which is considered to be corrosion resistant) and have a minimum embedment length in each wall leaf of 50mm.

The Department has not issued any guidance to home owners, as identification, investigation and specifying repairs of corroded wall ties are specialist technical matters that are best left to a structural engineer or building surveyor. It is also likely that the building insurer will be involved.