Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the cost to the public purse of the proposed Building Safety Managers and (b) whether that costs constitutes value for money.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Building Safety Manager will be an individual or organisation who is appointed by, and enters into contract with, the Principal Accountable Person. It is not expected for the costs to fall on the public purse.
In line with recommendations set out by Dame Judith Hackitt, their role is to support Accountable Persons in the management of fire and structural safety in occupied high-rise residential buildings that are in scope of the new regime. A competent Building Safety Manager must be appointed for all occupied buildings, with the exception of where the Principal Accountable Person has notified the Building Safety Regulator that they have the requisite competence and capability and will fulfil the role themselves.
The Government is committed to ensuring safe outcomes for residents of high-rise buildings; Building Safety Managers will provide expertise and assistance to help ensure residents feel safe in their homes.
Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the proposed role of Building Safety Manager.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Building Safety Manager, who can be an organisation or individual, will play a key role in assisting and helping to ensuring that Accountable Persons meet their obligations. Building Safety Managers must be competent to support in the day-to-day management of fire and structural safety in the building.
To ensure a robust and consistent approach to assuring competence, we are sponsoring the British Standards Institution to create a suite of national competence standards for higher risk buildings. This will include the competence framework for the Building Safety Manager and other key roles.
Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many buildings that have successfully applied to the Building Safety Fund have (a) received funding and (b) started cladding remediation work in (i) Birmingham Ladywood constituency, (ii) Birmingham and (iii) the West Midlands.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
As at 18 October 2021, a total of 31 buildings have applied for funding from the Building Safety Fund in the West Midlands, 27 of the buildings are in Birmingham and of these 26 are in the Birmingham Ladywood constituency. A total of 18 buildings in the West Midlands are receiving funding from the Building Safety Fund, 17 of which are in Birmingham and 16 of those are in Birmingham Ladywood. A total of 5 buildings have started cladding remediation, all of which are in the Birmingham Ladywood constituency.
Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many buildings have (a) applied to and (b) secured funding from the Building Safety Fund in (i) Birmingham Ladywood constituency, (ii) Birmingham and (iii) the West Midlands.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
As at 18 October 2021, a total of 31 buildings have applied for funding from the Building Safety Fund in the West Midlands, 27 of the buildings are in Birmingham and of these 26 are in the Birmingham Ladywood constituency. A total of 18 buildings in the West Midlands are receiving funding from the Building Safety Fund, 17 of which are in Birmingham and 16 of those are in Birmingham Ladywood. A total of 5 buildings have started cladding remediation, all of which are in the Birmingham Ladywood constituency.
Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent progress has been made on the industry survey developed with the Construction Leadership Council on the construction professional indemnity insurance market.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Working closely with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, last year the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities encouraged the Construction Leadership Council to conduct an industry survey on the professional indemnity insurance constraints faced by construction professionals.
The largest professional indemnity insurance survey of its kind in construction, the survey highlighted the significant premium increases faced by many professionals across the construction sector.
The survey has been used to support evidence provided by the Construction Leadership Council to the upcoming Industry Safety Steering Group annual report, which sets out industry's progress on culture change over the last year.
It has also been used to consider industry actions that could produce a more proportionate approach to PII premium pricing and fire safety exclusions, in particular to ensure that the Government can continue to progress the remediation of unsafe cladding systems. The data has also informed our work on EWS1 professional indemnity insurance cover.
Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the difficulties experienced by the construction industry in securing professional indemnity insurance for fire safety and remediation work.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government understands that those involved in the construction industry are struggling to obtain adequate professional indemnity insurance (PII) for fire safety and remediation work.
The issue is a complex one with multiple causes, and the Government understands that insurance premiums have risen substantially since 2018 for construction professionals.
We continue to engage with industry experts to establish methods to restore confidence in building safety and improve coverage in the construction sector, in particular to ensure that the Government can continue to progress the remediation of unsafe cladding systems.
Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
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 plans take to help ensure that professional indemnity requirements are not halting essential fire safety and remediation work.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Building Safety Bill will ensure that those responsible for occupied higher-risk buildings will be required to actively manage building safety risks, evidencing this through the safety case regime overseen by the Building Safety Regulator. This will ensure major fire and structural hazards are effectively and proportionately managed, mitigated and remedied and that effective steps are taken, which take into account safety and cost.
We have been clear that building owners and industry should make buildings safe without passing on costs to leaseholders and where they have not stepped up, we have stepped in. The Government has announced a globally unprecedented investment of £5 billion in building safety and hundreds of thousands of leaseholders will be protected from the cost of remediating unsafe cladding from their homes.
Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 July 2021, HCWS228 on Housing Update, whether the Government plans to repay leaseholders who have already paid for EWS1.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The EWS1 process is not a Government one. There are no plans to reimburse for costs incurred in commissioning an EWS1.
Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
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 16 July 2021 to Question 29765 on High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention, how much and what proportion of the £30 million Waking Watch Relief is (a) allocated, (b) spent and (c) unspent.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Data on the Waking Watch Relief Fund, including the amount of funding allocated and approved, has been published at: www.gov.uk/guidance/waking-watch-relief-fund#waking-watch-relief-fund-data.
The majority of the Fund is administered by local and regional authorities, who are responsible for providing the allocated funding to buildings in their area.
Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will review BS-5839 guidance on fire detection and alarm systems to insert guidance on Smart Alarm systems for high rise property.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
British Standards such as BS 5839 are produced by the British Standards Institute (BSI). Questions regarding BS 5839 should be directed to BSI and the relevant committee.