Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of fast tracking urgent cases with Homes England where residents in buildings under 11 metres face financial hardship due to urgent fire safety measures.

The Department is committed to protecting residential leaseholders from bearing the costs of remediating historic fire safety-related cladding defects and offering support to both residents and leaseholders. Building owners and landlords for buildings under 11 metres tall are responsible for ensuring that historical fire safety defects are addressed without unnecessary delay. They should not pass the cost of cladding remediation works onto leaseholders.

Homes England, who are delivering the Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS) for buildings over 11m, are now leading the management of cases of residential buildings under 11 metres on behalf of the department. This ensures a streamlined and efficient approach across all building heights and enables them to address urgent cases. They are auditing Fire Risk Assessments and accompanying Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls to ensure assessments are consistent, proportionate, and aligned with PAS 9980 standards.

The Department intends to provide further information regarding exceptional cladding remediation funding for buildings under 11m in height in England in due course.