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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether an EWS1 report can be retrospectively invalidated in the event that the presumptions about the type of cladding in the external wall system on which it was originally based are proved to be incorrect or out of date.

An EWS1 form is not a safety certificate or a statutory requirement. Assessments can be reviewed to make sure they are proportionate and building owners or residents may already seek second opinions if they are concerned about the recommendations. The building owner is responsible for commissioning an EWS1 assessment and should therefore clarify which form is to be used in the case of duplicate assessments, including if one is no longer required, referring to the professionals who conducted the assessments as necessary.

Following the July Independent Expert Statement on Building Safety in medium and lower rise blocks of flats, the government agrees that EWS1 forms should not be required on buildings under 18 metres. Where EWS1 forms and assessments have already been completed for buildings below 18 metres and have identified costly remediation work independent experts strongly recommend that these assessments are reviewed to make sure that the proposed solution is cost effective and proportionate.