Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Leaseholders: Fire Safety Costs

Monday 11 January 2021 · 2 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The government announced a new 30 million fund to help end excessive waking watch costs.
  • This fund aims to save residents 3 million each month by funding the installation of alarm systems.
  • The fund is expected to be open within the month to provide funding for alarm installations quickly.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Caroline Nokes Con Romsey and Southampton North
Housing
Context

High costs of interim fire safety measures are burdening leaseholders in buildings with unsafe cladding. The issue is causing financial strain, sleep deprivation, and mental stress.

Question

What steps he is taking to support leaseholders with high costs of interim fire safety measures pending permanent remediation?

Answer from Christopher Pincher

We have announced a new £30 million fund to help end the scandal of excessive waking watch costs, which will fund the installation of alarm systems in buildings with unsafe cladding. This is expected to save residents £3 million each month and reduce dependence on costly interim measures such as waking watches.

Answered
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Q2 Caroline Nokes Con Romsey and Southampton North
Housing Environment
Context

High costs of interim fire safety measures are burdening leaseholders in buildings with unsafe cladding. The issue is causing financial strain, sleep deprivation, and mental stress.

Question

Sleep deprivation is recognised as a form of torture. People living in buildings with unsafe cladding are being tortured: physically, due to lack of sleep; financially, due to inability to sell homes and forced payment for waking watches; mentally, due to living in limbo. When does my right hon. Friend expect that torture to end?

Answer from Christopher Pincher

We want residents of blocks enduring a waking watch to get the benefits of our changes as soon as possible. The £30 million fund is expected to be open this month with the aim of providing funding for the installation of alarms as quickly as possible.

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