Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Written Statement of 9 October 2018 on Building safety update, HCWS976, whether he plans to extend the ban on combustible materials to all hospitals irrespective of height.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government consulted on applying the ban to residential buildings with a top storey more than 18 metres above ground level, in line with current Building Regulation’s guidance. Following analysis of consultation responses we also included hospitals above 18 metres. The majority of respondents to the consultation showed support for this height threshold and it will be used as the basis for the ban to be consistent with current guidance. The Government will review this height threshold as part of the wider technical review of the building regulations for fire safety set to start in the Autumn.
The NHS already has a very good record of fire safety, but cannot remain complacent. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, NHS organisations must, as far as is reasonably practicable, make sure that everyone on the premises, or nearby, can escape safely if there is a fire. Therefore, they will consider the ban on combustible cladding as part of the regular fire risk assessments they carry out on their estate when they have new build or refurbishment. This will include whether it applies to all walls irrespective of height of the hospital.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Written Statement of 9 October 2018 on Building safety update, HCWS976, whether he plans to extend the ban on combustible materials to all care homes irrespective of height.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government consulted on applying the ban to residential buildings with a top storey more than 18 metres above ground level, in line with current Building Regulation’s guidance. Following analysis of consultation responses we also included, registered care premises above 18 metres. The majority of respondents to the consultation showed support for this height threshold and it will be used as the basis for the ban to be consistent with current guidance. The Government will review this height threshold as part of the wider technical review of the building regulations for fire safety set to start in the Autumn.
All registered care homes are inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who liaise with local fire services as part of their on going monitoring. On inspection, CQC look at how providers are assessing fire risks to ensure the safety of the resident. The findings of the CQC assessments must be acted on without delay if improvements are required.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2018 to Question 164527, how many high-rise care home buildings that are above 18 metres have rainscreen cladding.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government’s Building Safety Programme is tracking the remediation of residential buildings over 18 metres with aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding systems. We are not aware of any high-rise care homes in our dataset.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2018 to Question 164527, how many non-high-rise care home buildings that are below 18 metres have rainscreen cladding.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government’s Building Safety Programme is tracking the remediation of residential buildings over 18 metres with aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding systems. We are not aware of any high-rise care homes in our dataset.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of re-cladding on the effectiveness of fire breaks.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The Independent Expert Panel will provide advice to the government on any immediate measures needed to make buildings safe following the Grenfell Tower fire. It is a landlord’s responsibility to ensure that people are kept safe. If building owners decide that they need to re-clad their buildings, this building work will need to be compliant with the requirements of the Building Regulations, including the requirements relating to the prevention of spread of fire over the external walls.
Guidance on the provision of fire breaks (cavity barriers) is provided in section 9 of Approved Document B.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of re-cladding on the combustibility of insulation.
Answered by Lord Sharma
On 6 July we published details of further tests to be carried out as the next step in helping landlords to ensure the safety of their buildings. These large scale tests will help establish how different types of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) panels in combination with different types of insulation behave in a fire. Further detail about the next testing stage can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/expert-panel-recommends-further-tests-on-cladding-and-insulation
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to his oral contribution of 3 July 2017, Official Report, column 924, on guidance to local authorities and housing associations, what specific guidance has been given in respect of insulation.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The Department wrote to local authority and housing associations landlords on 18 June, setting out immediate actions that should be taken to identify residential tower blocks over 18 metres in height with aluminium type external cladding. The Department wrote again on 19 June to set out the process they should follow to submit samples of aluminium composite material cladding for testing.
The Secretary of State wrote on 22 June to update all Members of Parliament on the Grenfell Tower disaster and the action we are taking in response, and he will provide regular updates as further information is released; these are being made available on the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/grenfell-tower
On 30 June, we published a note at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/explanatory-note-on-safety-checks-and-testing This note confirms the advice in those letters to local authorities, with further specific information about the tests being carried out.
On 6 July we published details of further tests to be carried out as the next step in helping landlords to ensure the safety of their buildings. These large scale tests will help establish how different types of ACM panels in combination with different types of insulation behave in a fire. Further detail about the next testing stage can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/expert-panel-recommends-further-tests-on-cladding-and-insulation