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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what budget (a) his Department or (b) the Homes and Communities Agency holds for contingency funding to provide financial support to a housing association facing a critical fire safety issue; and what the terms of access to that funding are.

Department does not hold a budget for contingency funding to provide financial support in these circumstances. The Department expects the building owner, developer or insurer to take responsibility for the costs arising from a critical incident. High rise social sector buildings with unsafe cladding systems, however, can apply for funding from the Government’s grant funding schemes, worth £5.1 billion in total, to remove and replace the unsafe cladding if they meet the eligibility criteria. The criteria and process differs depending on the type of cladding system. More information on the funds, including their criteria, can be found at: www.gov.uk/guidance/building-safety-programme.