Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps is he taking to tackle rogue contractors and builders.

Through the Building Safety Bill and secondary legislation we are placing a duty on anyone carrying out design or building work on any building to ensure that they and the people they appoint are competent for their role, or are being appropriately trained and supervised. For high-rise buildings, the new regime will make sure there is someone clearly responsible for safety during the design, build and occupation of a high-rise building. The new Building Safety Regulator will provide enhanced oversight across all buildings, and enforce the new regulatory regime for higher-risk buildings.

Where defective work is done despite these changes, the Building Safety Bill extends the limitation period under section 1 of the Defective Premises Act 1972, from six to 15 years, more than doubling the period of time for compensation claims to be brought for defective work following completion. The Bill also extends the scope of the Defective Premises Act to all work done on residential premises, not just the work to provide the dwelling in the first place.

In addition, the existing Government endorsed TrustMark Scheme identifies local traders who have undergone independent checks for both trade competence and good trading practice, providing consumers with increased confidence and ability to choose registered businesses, including builders, who adhere to and maintain high standards.