Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2020 to Question 8381 on Buildings, whether the Government plans to publish further guidance on (a) when an EWS1 form should be completed and (b) who should complete form.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The EWS1 form was developed by industry, led by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The Department has not issued any guidance in relation to use of the EWS1 form, nor are there plans to do so. The Government is continuing to engage with industry, including RICS, on wider valuation issues around high rise residential buildings.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2020 to Question 12405 on Buildings, if his Department will (a) make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing into public ownership those residential buildings where there has been an abject failure of many building owners to do the right thing and (b) remove unsafe cladding materials from those buildings.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
It is the Government’s priority to ensure that residents are safe. We are clear that unsafe ACM cladding must be replaced swiftly. Where insufficient progress is being made, building owners can expect further action to be taken, including enforcement.
In the Queen’s Speech, the Government announced legislation which will put beyond doubt that the Fire Safety Order applies to external walls (including cladding) and individual flat entrance doors in multi-occupied residential buildings. This will affirm Fire and Rescue Services’ enforcement role for these buildings.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2020 to Question 12405 on Buildings, what steps his Department will take to recoup the £200 million provided from the public purse to rectify the abject failure of many building owners to do the right thing and remove unsafe cladding materials from privately owned residential structures.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
As a condition of funding, Applicants are expected to take all reasonable steps to recover the cost of replacing unsafe ACM cladding from those responsible. This will be repaid to Government once recouped.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2020 to Question 8382 on Buildings: Fire Prevention, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of mortgage lenders' responses to its Advice for Building Owners of Multi-storey, Multi-occupied residential buildings document.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
'Building safety advice for building owners, including fire doors', published in January 2020, provides the latest advice for building owners concerned about the fire safety of their building/s. It is not a compliance document for mortgage lenders. Government is continuing to engage with the mortgage industry to understand its approach to risk.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2020 to Question 8384 on Buildings: Fire Prevention, whether the Independent Expert Advisory Panel plans to provide any advice to leaseholders in buildings with (a) ACM cladding and (b) exterior cladding systems not yet tested by the owner of those buildings.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The role of the Independent Expert Advisory Panel (IEAP) is to advise the Secretary of State on measures that should be taken relating to fire and building safety in existing buildings. Following the IEAP’s advice, updated advice has been issued to building owners on measures they should take to ensure building safety. Leaseholders can access free initial specialist advice to understand their rights through the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE): www.lease-advice.org/
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2020 to Question 8382 on Buildings: Fire Prevention, how many high-rise private sector residential building owners have submitted applications to the Government's ACM remediation fund as at 4 February 2020.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
This information is published in the Building Safety Programme Data Release, with latest data as at 31 December 2019 published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-monthly-data-release-december-2019 . The next update, referring to the situation at the end of January, will be included in the next Data Release, which will be published on 13 February.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2020 to Question 8382 on Buildings: Fire Prevention, for what reasons it took the Government more than two years to open the ACM remediation fund after the Grenfell Tower fire.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
In May 2018, the Government made £400 million available to social sector landlords to fund the removal and replacement of unsafe ACM cladding on high-rise residential social housing buildings.
It became clear that too many private sector building owners were failing to take responsibility to ensure their buildings were made permanently safe, and at no cost to leaseholders. Therefore, the Government committed £200 million for the removal and replacement of unsafe ACM cladding on private sector residential high-rise buildings.
This funding will remove that barrier. Government intervention to provide funding for the removal of unsafe ACM cladding is wholly exceptional. It is based on the unparalleled fire risk ACM poses, the very real public safety concerns and the abject failure of many building owners to do the right thing by their residents.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2020 to Question 8382 on Buildings: Fire Prevention, whether an additional fund will be made available to leaseholders in buildings whose homes are currently unmortgageable as a result of the presence of (a) ACM cladding and (b) exterior cladding systems not yet tested by the owner of those buildings.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Government has committed £600 million to remediate high-rise residential buildings with unsafe ACM cladding. This Government intervention is wholly exceptional. It is based on the unparalleled fire risk ACM poses at this height.
Building safety is the responsibility of the building owner, and they must remedy any safety risks. Building owners should consider all routes to meet costs, protecting leaseholders where they can – for example through warranties and recovering costs from contractors for poor work.
However, we do not want the cost to be a barrier to remediation, so the Department is considering options to support leaseholders with Her Majesty’s Treasury. Building Owners should be transparent about any remediation plans with lenders and managing agents.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of recommendations on fire safety from the Independent Expert Advisory Panel on building safety on Right to Buy applicants.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Independent Expert Advisory Panel has provided clear advice for building owners on taking action regarding any fire safety concerns with their building's external walls. Potential buyers, including Right to Buy applicants, should consult the building owner for information about the fire safety of a building’s external walls.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors' external wall fire review process in identifying combustible materials in buildings; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The EWS1 form was developed by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and published on 16 December. It is designed to enable industry to manage valuations of properties in multi-occupancy buildings 18 metres and over. Given the short time in operation it is premature to make any assessment of its usage however Government is engaged with industry on this.