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 publication entitled Building Safety Remediation: monthly data release - March 2024, published on 18 April 2024, what is the target completion date for occupied buildings over 18 metres that have not had ACM cladding removed.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The department will continue to pursue a range of initiatives to seek remediation at the earliest date. The Honourable Gentleman will be aware, from the document he quotes in his questions, that the length of time to conclude remediation will depend upon the number of responsible entities that start remediation in a timely manner and how many will need to be compelled to do so. The Government will continue to take action to make progress on 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, with reference to his Department's web page entitled Building Safety Remediation data releases, updated on 18 April 2024, what his expected completion date is for the removal of cladding from the 28 occupied buildings over 18 metres with ACM cladding.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The department will continue to pursue a range of initiatives to seek remediation at the earliest date. The Honourable Gentleman will be aware, from the document he quotes in his questions, that the length of time to conclude remediation will depend upon the number of responsible entities that start remediation in a timely manner and how many will need to be compelled to do so. The Government will continue to take action to make progress on 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, what data his Department holds on the number of residents who have been ordered to leave their flats in the last three years.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 19948 on 28 March 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, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of support for residents ordered to leave their flats because of (a) structural and (b) fire risks.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 19948 on 28 March 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 statistics entitled Statutory homelessness in England: October to December 2023, published on 30 April 2024, what steps his Department is taking to (a) help prevent more households being forced into temporary accommodation and (b) financially support local authorities facing an increase demand for temporary accomodation.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
This Government is committed to tackling homelessness. We are investing over £1.2 billion in the Homelessness Prevention Grant over three years to help councils prevent homelessness and provide temporary accommodation, including a £109 million top-up announced at Autumn Statement for 2024/25.
The Local Authority Housing Fund enables councils in England to buy or build housing stock to obtain better quality temporary accommodation for those owed a homelessness duty and provide a lasting affordable housing asset for the future. We recently announced a third round of funding, bringing the total funding to £1.2 billion.
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, when he plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Weaver Vale of 20 December 2023.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Departmental officials are in regular contact with the leaseholders at Agar Grove to discuss the situation. Departmental officials and I are actively discussing the situation at Agar Grove and will write directly to those involved with an update in due course.
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, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of building insurance costs on people affected by building safety issues.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
I refer the Hon Gentleman to the answer to Question UIN 22834 on 26 April 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, whether his Department has made an estimate of the cost of implementing a reinsurance scheme for people affected by building safety issues.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
I refer the Hon Gentleman to the answer to Question UIN 22834 on 26 April 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, if he will make an estimate of the cost of implementing a reinsurance scheme for people affected by building safety issues.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
I refer the Hon Gentleman to the answer to Question UIN 22834 on 26 April 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, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that when a building owner enters administration, qualifying leaseholders remain protected from non-cladding remediation costs under the Building Safety Act.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The costs of remediation will only fall on leaseholders in the event some or all of the leaseholders choose to buy the freehold collectively and take over the rights and responsibilities of being the freeholder. Otherwise, the responsibilities will remain with the freeholder or, following the conclusion of any insolvency proceedings, with the party who acquires the freehold following termination of the insolvency. In which case, the leaseholder protections will apply.
As a result, qualifying leaseholders under the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act 2022 will remain protected in law from the costs of non-cladding historical safety defects being passed on to them through the service charge (under the terms of the protections).
Should a building owner become insolvent and enter administration, interested parties including leaseholders can also potentially look to pursue a previous freeholder, developer and any associated company or person for remediation costs through a Remediation Contribution Order and also have the potential to pursue developers, contractors or manufacturers where they are liable for defects which meant one or more dwellings in the building was not fit for habitation when the relevant works were completed.