Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of classing building insurance as a relevant cost that leaseholders can seek to recover through a remediation contribution order.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The purpose of a Remediation Contribution Order is to contribute to remediation.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities how many and what proportion of full-time equivalent roles in his Department related to the Building Safety Programme on 30 April (a) 2023 and (b) 2024.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Building Safety Programme and initiatives are staffed by civil servants working within the Safer and Greener Buildings section of the department.
As at 30 April 2023, there were 3170.8 full-time equivalent (FTE) roles in the department of which 305.1 FTE roles were within the Safer and Greener Buildings Group.
As at 30 April 2024, there were 3669.5 FTE roles in the department of which 466.7 FTE roles were within the Safer and Greener Buildings Group.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the average time taken for PIP reviews to be undertaken in each of the last (a) three, (b) six and (c) 12 months.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Average times between the registration date of a PIP review and the review clearance date is provided in the following table, as requested for the three specified time periods.
Time period | Average time to complete PIP Reviews (weeks) |
Three months to January 2024 | 39 |
Six months to January 2024 | 40 |
Twelve months to January 2024 | 42 |
Notes:
- Source: PIP Atomic Data Store;
- Latest published data is for January 2024, setting the end of each time period;
- Figures are rounded to the nearest week (7 days);
- Figures are for England and Wales only;
- These figures relate to both planned award reviews and changes of circumstances.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has issued recent guidance to building owners on the timeframe in which they should confirm Cladding Safety Scheme eligibility outcomes to leaseholders.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Cladding Safety Scheme guidance requires the responsible entity to provide regular updates to leaseholders and residents at any time upon their request, including the eligibility outcomes. Further milestones requiring communications to leaseholders are published on GOV.UK for applicants.
It is essential that life safety fire risks associated with cladding are addressed as quickly as possible to ensure that residents are safe and feel safe in their homes. Most applicants have signed the Grant Funding Agreements in a timely manner. For those not signing in reasonable timeframe, Homes England takes additional escalation steps to ensure that the Grant Funding Agreement is signed. This includes frequent communications with the applicant to understand potential blockers, resolve them, and if necessary, escalation to senior stakeholders for action.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department plans to take to tackle building owners not signing Grant Funding Agreements for the Cladding Safety Scheme in a reasonable timeframe.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Cladding Safety Scheme guidance requires the responsible entity to provide regular updates to leaseholders and residents at any time upon their request, including the eligibility outcomes. Further milestones requiring communications to leaseholders are published on GOV.UK for applicants.
It is essential that life safety fire risks associated with cladding are addressed as quickly as possible to ensure that residents are safe and feel safe in their homes. Most applicants have signed the Grant Funding Agreements in a timely manner. For those not signing in reasonable timeframe, Homes England takes additional escalation steps to ensure that the Grant Funding Agreement is signed. This includes frequent communications with the applicant to understand potential blockers, resolve them, and if necessary, escalation to senior stakeholders for action.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which Fires of Special Interest his Department commissioned investigations for in 2023.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The “Investigation of Real Fires” project has been undertaken on behalf of Government since 1988 and gathers information through the investigation of real fires. It ensures that research into fire safety related issues commissioned by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) and previously DLUHC adequately responds to emerging challenges, as well as keeping officials and Ministers suitably informed of high-profile incidents, both in England and beyond. This work includes those fires which would previously have been classified as “Fires of Special Interest”.
The most recent annual report covers the period 1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023. During that period, 237 fires worldwide were recorded under the contract.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has had discussions with mortgage lenders on lending to non-qualifying leaseholders.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Yes.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has had discussions with mortgage lenders on lending to non-qualifying leaseholders.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Yes.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the oral contribution by the Minister for Housing, Planning and Building Safety of 22 April 2024, Official Report, column 636, what steps his Department is taking to help support people in low-rise homes with timber and UPVC cladding in the London Borough of Barnet.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 25644 on 15 May 2024. .
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's Building Safety Remediation: monthly data release, updated on 18 April 2024, how many and what proportion of buildings that have received funding through the Building Safety Fund there are where at least one variation request has been rejected.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Currently one building has been rejected additional funding (variation request) through the Building Safety Fund.