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 the number of privately owned tower blocks which have dangerous cladding.

The Government’s priority is to ensure that residents of high-rise (above 18 metres) buildings with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems are, and feel, safe. We work closely with local authorities and fire and rescue services to ensure that interim safety measures are in place to ensure residents are safe for any buildings which have been identified as having potentially dangerous ACM cladding systems. Officials continue to engage with developers, building owners and managing agents with responsibility for buildings with unsafe ACM cladding systems to ensure that they are fully remediated as quickly as possible. We have written to all relevant private sector building owners reminding them of their responsibilities towards making their buildings safe, including reminding them that local authorities have powers to enforce these improvements if building owners do not take action.

A ministerially-chaired taskforce is overseeing the remediation of private sector buildings with unsafe ACM cladding systems and a joint expert inspection team will support local authorities in ensuring and, where necessary, enforcing remediation of private sector high-rise residential buildings with unsafe ACM cladding systems. To support the work of the inspection team, Government has made further funding available up to £1 million.