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 the Government's Advice Note on Balconies on Residential Buildings published on 24 June 2019, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that housing providers have (a) made the necessary assessments of their housing stock on combustible material, (b) taken steps to mitigate risks and (c) adequate financial resources to improve standards.

Building safety is the responsibility of the building owner, and they must remedy any safety risks uncovered. Government have published advice, including on balconies, for building owners on how to ensure safety of buildings here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/building-safety-programme#advice-notes. Building owners should consider all routes to meet costs, protecting residents where they can – for example through warranties and recovering costs from contractors for incorrect or poor work.

Local authorities and housing associations should contact MHCLG or the Regulator of Social Housing respectively, if carrying out essential fire safety works would affect their financial viability.