Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people live in tower blocks which have been declared unsafe after failing fire safety safety tests.
Answered by Dominic Raab
The focus of the Building Safety Programme has been to identify residential buildings in England over 18 metres with aluminium composite material cladding that may present a fire hazard. We do not hold information on the numbers of residents in these buildings.
However, the Government does publish monthly data releases on the progress of the Building Safety Programme which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/building-safety-programme#data-on-the-building-safety-progamme
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many of the former residents of Grenfell Tower have been rehoused in permanent accommodation as of 23 January 2018.
Answered by Dominic Raab
The latest figures from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), as of 25 January 2018, show that 95 households from Grenfell Tower or Walk have accepted an offer of permanent accommodation, and that of this number, 54 households have moved into permanent accommodation. Figures also show that 96 households from Grenfell Tower or Walk remain in emergency accommodation, which includes those living in hotels, serviced apartments and some who are living with friends and family. The Council has assured me that no residents from Grenfell Tower or Walk are living in bed and breakfast accommodation.
Whilst permanent homes are being acquired and made ready for residents, the Council is working closely with residents to help them move into good quality, local interim homes. The Council has committed that the interim homes offered to residents are self-contained, fully furnished, big enough for each family and are not in a high rise building. The Council is also providing advice and help to residents in setting up their new temporary home. A total of 58 households from Grenfell Tower or Walk have moved into interim accommodation.
The Council has acquired hundreds of permanent homes for the survivors of Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk to give people as much choice as possible. But while no-one should be rushed into making such an important decision about where they are going to live, for some the pace has been too slow.
I expect the Council to do whatever is necessary to ensure households can move into settled homes as swiftly as possible, but to do so sensitively and taking into account individual needs.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many former residents of Grenfell Tower are living in bed and breakfasts, interim and temporary accommodation.
Answered by Dominic Raab
I refer the Rt Hon Member for Tottenham to the answer I gave today to Question UIN 124562.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many housing planning applications have been called in by his Department in each year since 2010.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The table below sets out the number of planning applications for housing that were called in by the Secretary of State.
These figures include planning applications for mixed use development schemes that include an element of housing, in addition to development schemes for residents only.
Year | Number of applications called in | |
2008 | 12 | |
2009 | 14 | |
2010 | 4 | |
2011 | 1 | |
2012 | 0 | |
2013 | 5 | |
2014 | 8 | |
2015 | 6 | |
2016 | 9 | |
| ||
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
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 5 September 2017, Official Report, column 82, Grenfell Tower and Building Safety, for how many years will Grenfell Tower fire survivors pay the same rent as they previously paid for their homes in Grenfell Tower.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) is leading on the rehousing of survivors of the fire at Grenfell Tower and being supported by my Department on this matter. We will continue to support RBKC's initiative to provide a rent-free period for Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk survivors.
Survivors who lived in Grenfell Tower or Grenfell Walk will not pay any rent, service charges, Council Tax or utility bills until 1 July 2019. This applies whether they are living in an interim or permanent home.
Subsequently, the Council have confirmed that the rent and service charges for their new permanent home will be no greater than the amount that tenants were paying as tenants whilst in Grenfell Tower or Grenfell Walk; this applies even if they are rehoused to a larger home.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
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 5 September 2017, Official Report, column 82, Grenfell Tower and Building Safety, what steps has he taken to ensure that all Grenfell Tower residents will be not pay rent for the first year and subsequently pay the same as they previously paid in rent.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) is leading on the rehousing of survivors of the fire at Grenfell Tower and being supported by my Department on this matter. We will continue to support RBKC's initiative to provide a rent-free period for Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk survivors.
Survivors who lived in Grenfell Tower or Grenfell Walk will not pay any rent, service charges, Council Tax or utility bills until 1 July 2019. This applies whether they are living in an interim or permanent home.
Subsequently, the Council have confirmed that the rent and service charges for their new permanent home will be no greater than the amount that tenants were paying as tenants whilst in Grenfell Tower or Grenfell Walk; this applies even if they are rehoused to a larger home.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of sprinklers in improving fire safety in tower blocks; and what steps he is taking to promote the retro-fitting of sprinkler systems in tower blocks.
Answered by Lord Sharma
It is for the responsible person to ensure that any existing residential building has the appropriate fire safety in place, which may include retro-fitting sprinklers. In 2013, the Department wrote to all local authorities and housing associations, asking them to consider a Coroner’s Report recommendation that they should consider retro-fitting sprinklers in existing residential buildings over 30 metres.
However, the decision on whether to install sprinklers is a decision for the responsible person in each building, and this decision should be based on the specific circumstances and an assessment of risk for each building.
The Government asked Dame Judith Hackitt to lead an independent review of the Building Regulations and fire safety, and will determine what further action is needed in light of her recommendations. It is expected that the review will present an interim report before the end of the year, and a final report no later than spring 2018.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the timetable for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to rehouse Grenfell Tower households in permanent accommodation; what assessment he has made of the capacity of that local authority to meet that timetable; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) has committed to provide survivors from Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk with a permanent new home in social housing within one year of the fire. We are working closely with RBKC to support them to deliver this commitment, and receive regular updates on rehousing progress, which we continue to monitor carefully.
Following the fire, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government set up the independent Grenfell Recovery Taskforce to provide assurance that RBKC has the capacity and capability to deliver an effective long term recovery plan for its residents, taking into account their views. In his statement to the House on 6 November, the Secretary of State echoed the conclusion of the Taskforce’s first report that the pace of delivery by RBKC was too slow and needed significant improvement. I expect the Council to do whatever is necessary to ensure households can move into settled homes as swiftly as possible. It is important that the rehousing proceeds at a pace which respects the needs, wants and situations of survivors but we have been equally clear that bureaucratic inertia must not add delay.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities and housing associations have approached his Department for funding to support remedial fire safety work in tower blocks; how many applications to his Department for funding to support remedial fire safety work in tower blocks have been (a) approved and (b) rejected, and what funds his Department has available to fund remedial fire safety work in tower blocks.
Answered by Lord Sharma
We have been clear that building owners are responsible for funding fire safety measures, but councils should contact us if they have any concerns about funding fire safety works. Government will consider financial flexibilities for local authorities who need to undertake essential fire safety work to make a building safe.
36 local authorities have been in touch with the Department regarding work to ensure fire safety in tower blocks. We have not rejected any requests for support for essential works to make a building fire safe, and will consider further detail provided by local authorities as they provide it.
Housing associations that are concerned about their ability to meet these costs should contact the social housing Regulator. So far, no housing associations have contacted the Regulator with concerns about their financial viability as a result of having to meet these costs.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the length of time it will take to rehouse all former residents of Grenfell Tower.
Answered by Lord Sharma
Our priority is to get everyone who has lost their home permanently rehoused as soon as possible, in the local area if that is what they wish. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) has committed to providing a home for all former residents of Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk within 12 months of the fire.
It is important that the re-housing proceeds at a pace which respects the needs, wants and situations of the survivors. RBKC is focussing on identifying local properties, so that survivors can remain in the area over the long term, if that is what they want. Survivors are being offered suitable permanent homes as soon as possible.
We have been clear with RBKC that we want to see all families able to leave hotels and into more settled accommodation as soon as possible. Over half of the households from Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk have already either moved in or accepted either a temporary or permanent new home.