Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Regulator of Social Housing in ensuring the fire safety of homes (a) owned and (b) managed by registered providers of social housing.

The Regulator of Social Housing sets standards that registered providers are required to meet - including that a landlord meets all applicable statutory requirements that provide for the health and safety of the occupants of their homes. Failure to comply with a standard may result in the regulator publishing a Regulatory Judgement or a Regulatory Notice depending on the nature of the failing.

In relation to fire safety, there was one Regulatory Notice against a housing association in 2017/18. There were five Regulatory Notices in 2018/19 (four housing associations and a local authority). In 2019/20 there has been 12 Regulatory Notices to date (five housing associations and seven local authorities).

The Regulator is operationally independent, but provides regular assurance to the department that its fundamental objectives are being delivered efficiently and effectively.