Building Safety

Question

The MP asked if the Government would go beyond developers' contracts to pursue building owners who obstruct remediation work and about the criteria for identifying such owners. He also questioned why some companies are exempt from the contract.

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The MP inquired about the costs associated with remediation, whether developers are funding all necessary work without Government assistance, and how to ensure that leaseholders understand their rights under the Building Safety Act.

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The MP questioned whether those who benefit from commissions related to insurance policies should be liable for compensation and about the role of managing agents, landlords, and freeholders in ensuring fair service charges.

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The MP sought clarification on whether the Government will publish a list of buildings where remediation is due but not happening, and if there are specific criteria to identify such buildings.

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The MP inquired about the Government's strategy for addressing buildings where remediation is ongoing but not completed, and whether there are specific measures to encourage progress.

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The MP welcomed some measures but criticised the lack of progress in fixing dangerous cladding, highlighting ongoing issues faced by leaseholders. She questioned the minister's approach towards foreign developers and urged for greater transparency on legal advice received.

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The MP welcomed the minister's statement but noted previous failures in implementing commonhold reform. He suggested that leaseholders should be a party to insurance policies and proposed engaging with the insurance industry for better claims handling.

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The MP thanked the minister for advance sight of his statement and questioned the support given to companies carrying out remediation works, particularly regarding insurance issues and timely payments by Homes England.

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What actions will the Government take to make it more likely that people will set up new construction companies and grow smaller companies, since we clearly need more capacity and more competition to get high-quality work done?

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I welcome the progress made so far, but in a couple of weeks’ time the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee will be looking further at omissions that probably still exist, including how the Secretary of State will get money out of product providers. Apart from on ACM cladding, there is no help at all for social housing providers with disrepair problems and making homes more energy-efficient.

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If he does reform the freehold and leasehold systems, what provision will he make so that people with short leases are able to take over their freehold without having to pay huge charges for extending their lease?

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What is being done to protect leaseholders and residents in blocks that have non-fire-related safety issues?

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Will the Secretary of State acknowledge the work done by many Conservative Back Benchers in voting against the Government and specifically that of my right hon. Friend the Member for Stevenage (Stephen McPartland) and my hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Itchen?

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In the absence of anybody to hold accountable, these residents have already had to scrape together £10,000 to pay for surveys and reviews. Can the Secretary of State confirm that those costs can be reclaimed from the building safety fund?

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Has any thought been given to a code of practice with teeth that sets benchmarks for acceptable conditions when remediation work is carried out?

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What sanctions will be faced by companies that knowingly took shortcuts on safety and what happens when they simply go out of business and pop up under another name?

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What sanctions will those who knowingly took shortcuts face, and what happens when companies simply go out of business and pop up under another name?

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What compensation will leaseholders and tenants get for increased insurance costs, and when can they expect work to start?

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Far too many leaseholders are still living in properties that have not been remediated, including in my constituency at Cartier House, the Gateway, and the Drive, Saxton Gardens. When will they get sorted out?

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Can the Secretary of State give us some timelines for property ownership reform?

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The Secretary of State said nothing about leaseholders in smaller buildings, nothing about social housing. When will he make an announcement on this?

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My constituents welcome the Secretary of State’s grasp of their problems, but his changes have required some arrangements that were previously in place to be reworked. Will the changes offer any assistance and relief?

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Two big developments in my constituency had unsafe cladding identified three years ago, applied to the building safety fund. Can you confirm that those developments will now be taken out of the building safety fund and given to their developers?

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I want to draw the Secretary of State’s attention to an area that is often forgotten: safety for disabled residents. How can this be acceptable?

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May I point out that most of the industrial-scale scandals we are now familiar with developed over the past decade? Can he give us a date by which all our constituents will be free of leasehold?

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In my constituency there is the ARC—a building complex with 474 individual leaseholders. They know their building has non-ACM cladding that needs to be remediated. Will he engage with his colleagues and me to ensure the Northern Ireland Executive are given the support they need to deliver the remediation?

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On what date can we expect a positive response on personal emergency evacuation plans and the next and final stage of leasehold reform?

Question

Dane House in Sydenham is a four-storey block of 26 flats with cladding on the third floor. Given today’s statement, will Crest Nicholson now be obliged to remove the cladding? Will he give a commitment that my constituents will no longer face such astronomical bills?

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In my borough, there is a major issue with freeholders who are registered offshore so that our constituents cannot track them down. Can the Secretary of State commit to providing legal support or going directly after those who are not doing the work they are supposed to?

Question

I thank the Secretary of State’s ministerial and staff team for the support they have given to residents in Wicker Riverside. However, he will be aware of another case in my constituency, that of Mandale House, where the managing agency, Y&Y Management, which has directors in common with the landlords, is not only denying leaseholders their rights, but challenging the legal status of the legislation we have passed to protect them, presumably believing that the leaseholders will not have the resources to challenge them in court. Can the Secretary of State explain how today’s announcement will help leaseholders in Mandale House, and will he assure me that his Department will provide all the support they need to make Y&Y Management fulfil its responsibilities?

Question

I thank the Secretary of State for his statement. Could he explain to the House how this action will help residents living in blocks that are just under the threshold for intervention? We have many such blocks in Reading and Woodley. In addition, could he update the House on what measures the Department will take to tackle wooden cladding, insufficient partitions walls, and weak or unsafe fire doors?

Question

I thank the Secretary of State very much for his statement. Building safety is vital for all parts of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Further to the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Belfast East (Gavin Robinson), may I request a timescale for communications between the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland, which has responsibility for this? One thing to consider in all this is that we in Northern Ireland deserve the same safety as residents here on the United Kingdom mainland.