Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his oral statement of 10 February 2021 on Building Safety, whether the guidance agreed with UK financial lenders and RICS on EWS1 forms will be applicable across the whole UK; and when that new guidance will come into effect.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
I understand that the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is reviewing the responses to the public consultation on its new draft EWS1 guidance and that the RICS will be publishing its new guidance for surveyors and valuers soon.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the proposed Gateway 2 developer levy.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The proposed gateway 2 developer levy will apply only when developers seek permission to develop certain high-rise buildings in England. It will not apply to Wales. Housing and building safety are devolved matters, with each of the four nations responsible for developing and enforcing their own regulations.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he first discussed the proposed developers levy with the Welsh Government and how that levy will apply to Wales.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The proposed gateway 2 developer levy will apply only when developers seek permission to develop certain high-rise buildings in England. It will not apply to Wales. Housing and building safety are devolved matters, with each of the four nations responsible for developing and enforcing their own regulations.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to increase the UK-wide capacity of qualified surveyors capable of undertaking assessments for EWS1 forms.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Department is funding nearly £700,000 to train more assessors to speed up the valuation process for homeowners in cases where an EWS1 form is required. The training is being delivered by RICS, who aim to have trained an additional 2,000 assessors by the end of the summer.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what agreements he has reached with (a) RICS, (b) UK Finance and (c) other stakeholders on reducing the requirement for EWS1 forms.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Industry have confirmed that buildings without cladding do not need an EWS1 form. This was announced on 21 November 2020. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-steps-in-to-help-homeowners-caught-up-in-ews1-process.
The Department estimates that this clarity will benefit 450,000 leaseholders.
RICS has recently completed a consultation on guidance for valuers when using the EWS1 process. When published the final RICS guidance should offer further clarity on the buildings where the EWS1 process should be used.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce fraud in the assessment and certification of EWS1 forms.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
RICS are aware of potential fraudulent use of EWS1 forms. RICS coordinate with the police and trading standards on any cases brought to their attention.