Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministerial Statement

Building Safety

26 March 2024 · 13 other contributors

Opened by Lee Rowley Con North Warwickshire

HousingEnvironment

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Lee Rowley raised concerns about building safety in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.

Key points

  • Minister made a statement on efforts to address unsafe cladding in buildings across England
  • Remediation programme now covers all residential buildings over 11 metres
  • Developers responsible for 3 billion of remediation works across more than 1,500 buildings

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Government Statement

Lee Rowley

With permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, the Minister made a statement on continuing efforts to address unsafe cladding in buildings across England. Since early 2023, there has been significant progress: the remediation programme now covers all residential buildings over 11 metres; developers are responsible for £3 billion of remediation works across more than 1,500 buildings; and the number of buildings undergoing remediation has risen from just over 1,600 to over 4,000. Ninety-eight per cent of high-rise buildings with Grenfell-style cladding have either started or completed work, while enforcement actions are being taken against those who fail to act. The Government is providing additional funding and support for councils to step up their enforcement efforts, including a new £6 million fund for local council teams, a regulatory protocol for greater consistency, and a legal support fund for complex cases. Despite progress, the Minister acknowledged that much remains to be done, with over 300,000 dwellings still in need of remediation.

Other contributors (13)
  • Mike Amesbury Lab Morley and Outwood

    Question

    The shadow minister questioned the lack of second staircase guidance, which has halted construction in London alone by at least 38,000 homes. He also asked about an update on personal emergency evacuation plans and insurance premium issues.

    Minister reply

    In response to concerns raised, the Minister acknowledged ongoing work to address these issues but provided no specific timeline for second staircase guidance or detailed updates on emergency evacuation plans. On insurance premiums, he noted efforts are being made through pooling schemes to mitigate excessive costs.

  • Barry Gardiner Lab Brent North

    Question

    The MP asked about the progress in installing sprinklers and improving fire safety measures in buildings undergoing remediation.

    Minister reply

    The Minister confirmed ongoing work to install sprinkler systems and enhance fire safety protocols, with a focus on ensuring compliance across all relevant buildings. He emphasised the importance of multi-faceted approaches to building safety.

  • Caroline Lucas Green Brighton Pavilion

    Question

    The MP inquired about support for leaseholders facing financial hardships due to remediation costs and service charges.

    Minister reply

    Acknowledging the financial burden on leaseholders, the Minister highlighted various schemes aimed at mitigating these impacts, including grants and pooled insurance initiatives. He committed to continuing efforts to protect residents from unreasonable service charge increases.

  • Mike Amesbury Lab Sefton Central

    Question

    The hon. Gentleman thanked the Minister for advance sight of the statement but expressed disappointment over the lack of significant new information or solutions to address the ongoing building safety crisis, citing the absence of second staircase guidance and highlighting delays in construction and remediation efforts.

    Minister reply

    The Minister acknowledged progress made but cautioned against overstating it. He confirmed that further information on second staircases would be provided by the end of the month and highlighted enforcement actions taken across various regions to ensure compliance with building safety standards.

  • Peter Bottomley Con Worthing West

    Question

    The hon. Gentleman noted that the Government's stance on insurance companies backing developers, architects, surveyors, builders and component suppliers needs further exploration and suggested a roundtable discussion to address potential claims.

    Minister reply

    The Minister acknowledged the concerns raised by his hon. Friend regarding leasehold issues and expressed openness towards discussing potential solutions, though no decisions had been made.

  • Marsha de Cordova Lab Battersea

    Question

    Seven years after the Grenfell fire, many constituents are still living in unsafe buildings under 11 metres. Can the Minister clarify what the Government is doing to ensure prioritisation for funding according to risk?

    Minister reply

    The line at 11 metres has been a recognised position and following previous commitments, the government has taken action on concerns about buildings below this height, often confirming they do not require remediation. The minister encourages MPs with outstanding concerns to contact them.

  • Rachel Maclean Con Wythenshawe and Sale East

    Question

    Will the Minister reassure us that the Government remains committed to reforming leasehold systems, which is vital for both transforming the sector and making buildings safe?

    Minister reply

    The government's view on leasehold reforms is transformative for leaseholders. The minister acknowledges the importance of transparency in insurance arrangements and other aspects.

  • Stephen Timms Lab East Ham

    Question

    Leaseholders from Waterside Park are facing delays due to disputes between their builders and freeholder's lawyers over details of remediation work. Can the Minister assist in resolving these issues?

    Minister reply

    The minister acknowledges the challenges but emphasises that processes should proceed expeditiously without unnecessary hold-ups. He is open to learning from specific concerns raised by MPs.

  • Matthew Offord Con Hendon

    Question

    Barnet Council has identified 459 low-rise properties as category 1 hazards following a fire investigation, with remediation costs of £23,000 per homeowner. Does the Minister agree this is unfair and will he propose urgent measures to assist constituents?

    Minister reply

    According to evidence seen by the Department, most buildings below 11 metres do not require fire safety remediation. The minister offers to meet with the MP for further discussion.

  • Jeremy Corbyn Ind Islington North

    Question

    Will the Minister release information on a fire safety assessment and ensure Galliard Homes steps up to do necessary remedial work to reduce insurance costs and enable residents to move on with their lives?

    Minister reply

    The minister acknowledges the importance of transparency and progress. He is committed to making both individual buildings and properties as a whole safer.

  • Bob Blackman Con Harrow East

    Question

    I thank my hon. Friend for his update, but it appears from his statement that there are still two tall buildings with ACM cladding on which no work is going on and on which the Government have taken no action; I should be grateful if he could clarify that. Another issue that arises directly from his statement is that there are now 4,000 homes between 11 and 18 metres high whose residents will probably not be able to get a mortgage, insure their properties or sell them. Will he speed up the process of assessing those blocks so that the residents can feel safe, and if work is required on them will he ensure that it is carried out speedily, so that homes are made safe for the residents and for whoever they sell to?

    Minister reply

    I am grateful for the question. On my hon. Friend’s first point, there are 11 buildings that have not started or finished their ACM remediation. One is not occupied. Of the remaining 10, work will commence on two in the next few weeks. Eight buildings will be remediated at a further date, and the remaining two have enforcement action being taken by the relevant authorities. Although I would like the number to go down to zero at the earliest possible opportunity, the situation is better than it was when we provided the update in October, and I expect the number to continue to move on a positive trajectory in the months and weeks ahead. On my hon. Friend’s point about the 4,000 buildings that are being reviewed, we provided a further 1,000 potential leads to Homes England, which is leading on the cladding safety scheme, a number of months ago. A significant number were found to not require any remediation. Although I cannot comment on where the 4,000 will land, it is likely that a large number of them will not require remediation in the end, so I encourage residents not to worry about the number, but to see what comes out of the process. Since December 2022, we have also taken action to make sure that we are starting to separate the need for remediation on properties from people’s ability to get on with their lives. The mortgage sector has been freed up to allow people to take mortgages, to remortgage and to move properties when big life events happen, and we hope that that will continue. I am monitoring, on a month-by-month basis, the large banks and building societies that are providing mortgages, and I can see that progress is being made.

  • Clive Efford Lab Eltham

    Question

    Master Gunner Place in my constituency is in need of remedial work, and the residents have been supplied with a letter of comfort from the developer to say that it will cover the costs. My constituent has written to me to say that his service charge has gone up by 360% in the last eight years. In the last year alone, it has gone up by 107%. He is now paying a £6,000-a-year service charge, even though Hamptons says that the average cost in London for a similar-sized property is £1,700. My constituent says that the additional costs are building safety-related. What does the Minister have to say about that? Can anything be done to stop developers recouping their costs in this way?

    Minister reply

    The first thing we need to do is bring greater transparency to service charges, which is what we are trying to do through the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill. Assuming that progress is made in the other place, I hope that it will be on the statute book as quickly as possible, and then it will be clear exactly where such costs come from. The second thing that is that our colleagues in the Financial Conduct Authority are bringing in the fair charging regime to make sure there are no inappropriate commissions and that, from an insurance perspective, exchanges are not under way with brokers, which will hopefully reduce the costs. The third thing is the industry-led insurance scheme, which should hopefully bring down insurance costs for those who are most exposed. However, the hon. Gentleman is absolutely right: we need greater transparency and a greater understanding of where these costs are going, and we need to make sure that freeholders and managing agents are following the law, which is very clear about the kinds of costs that can and cannot be allocated. If there is something specific about the building he mentions that the Government can look at, I will happily talk to him separately.

Shadow Comment

Mike Amesbury

The shadow minister expressed disappointment with the statement's lack of new initiatives beyond statistics already published last week. He criticised the slow pace of remediation, noting that only 21% of high-rise blocks have been fully remediated since the Grenfell tragedy seven years ago. The absence of second staircase guidance was highlighted as holding up construction in many areas and causing delays for thousands of safe homes. Concerns were raised about insurance premiums for residents trapped in unsafe buildings, with some seeing increases of 1,000%. He called on the Minister to play a more active role beyond reactive announcements and urged details on the new regulatory protocol and measures against manufacturers responsible for the crisis.

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