Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many building owners of blocks over 18 metres in height have (a) not started the process of cladding removal from affected buildings and (b) do not have a remediation plan for the repair work in place.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
This information can be found in the latest Building Safety Programme Monthly Data Release at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-monthly-data-release-september-2019 . This information is not broken down by building owner.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timeframe is for the implementation of option 2 in the the report on the scoping review of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The process to procure a supplier will begin in the coming weeks with work expected to begin in the new year.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many environmental health officers his Department (a) plans to recruit and (b) has recruited to deal with cases involving cladding.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
It is the responsibility of local authorities under the Housing Act 2004 to assess the risk of a hazard in residential housing, including the risk of hazard posed by aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding on private sector high-rise residential buildings. The powers to undertake assessments and carry out enforcement action under the Act and the Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) rest with local authorities rather than the Government. Environmental health officers are employed by local authorities. The Government has funded the Local Government Association to host a Joint Inspection Team to provide advice and support to local authorities with such assessments. This team includes environmental health officers.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities his Department has advised on their dealings with freeholders who are refusing to pay for repairs on their buildings with combustible cladding.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Secretary of State has consistently set out his strong expectation that leaseholders should be protected from the costs of remediation. My department is actively engaging with all building owners who have not committed to protect leaseholders. We are considering various options to ensure that costs are not passed on to leaseholders.
The Government is also backing local authorities to take enforcement action where building owners are refusing to remediate high-rise buildings with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material cladding. This will include financial support where this is necessary for the local authority to carry out emergency remedial work.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to take steps in cases in which freeholders refuse to pay for the replacement of combustible cladding on buildings.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Secretary of State has consistently set out his strong expectation that leaseholders should be protected from the costs of remediation. My department is actively engaging with all building owners who have not committed to protect leaseholders. We are considering various options to ensure that costs are not passed on to leaseholders.
The Government is also backing local authorities to take enforcement action where building owners are refusing to remediate high-rise buildings with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material cladding. This will include financial support where this is necessary for the local authority to carry out emergency remedial work.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on the creation of an independent regulator of social housing.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Regulator of Social Housing became a standalone organisation on 1 October 2018. This was delivered through the Legislative Reform (Regulator of Social Housing) (England) Order 2018.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 15 of the Government Response to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee Report on the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety: Next Steps, published in September 2018, which building owners he has written to to remind them of their responsibilities to undertake remediation action where potentially dangerous ACM cladding has been used.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
We have written to owners of buildings with dangerous Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) which have no clear remediation plan in place and to those who have suggested that they will pass remediation costs to leaseholders. We have reminded them of their responsibilities for the safety of residents and of the Secretary of State’s expectation that leaseholders should be protected from these costs.
We have also highlighted that, where building owners do not take action, local authorities have extensive enforcement powers to ensure that this necessary remediation work is undertaken. In addition, we have recently written to private sector building owners with high-rise buildings that contain small or partial amounts of cladding to inform them that the Expert Panel have advised that the clearest way to ensure the safety of residents is to remove all ACM, including small or partial areas, and replace it with a safe material.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Regulator of Social Housing has taken since the departure of the chief executive of Clarion Housing Group to ensure that its repairs and housing management services for tenants do not deteriorate.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Regulator of Social Housing continues to monitor the level of complaints and referrals from Clarion tenants and will take appropriate action in the event that these indicate a breach of its standards that risks serious harm to tenants. We understand that Clarion have now appointed a new Chief Executive.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
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 19 October to Questions 178312, what the timetable is for the Regulator of Social Housing to advertise for the appointment of the additional board member; and what steps he is taking to ensure that social housing tenants are made aware of those posts.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Recruitment for additional members to the Regulator of Social Housing Board will commence shortly. The posts will be advertised through a range of sources and will be promoted via our stakeholder networks.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many applicants were interviewed for the two new posts as Board Members of the Regulator of Social Housing in January and February 2018.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
A total of five candidates were interviewed for the most recruitment for Board members to the Regulator of Social Housing (then known as the HCA Regulation Committee).