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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure (a) transparency and (b) accountability in the management of fire safety equipment in leasehold properties.

Under Article 17 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, those responsible for fire safety in their premises (Responsible Persons) must make sure that any preventive and protective measures installed to address fire safety risks are subject to a suitable system of maintenance and are maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair. It is also a requirement on Responsible Persons for multi-occupied residential buildings to communicate the preventive and protective measures they have installed as a result of a fire risk assessment to residents in a comprehensible way.

There is a regulatory making power to mandate the frequency of this information, and we will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the legislation to identify if such a mandate is necessary.