Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Building Safety

Monday 25 October 2021 · 6 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 5 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government is investing 5.1 billion to remove unsafe cladding from high-rise buildings through a new tax on industry.
  • Government has distributed 734 million through the Building Safety Fund for remediation of 689 identified buildings, addressing 65,000 homes.
  • Building Safety Charge ensures a powerful regulator oversees building safety from design to operation, with transparent leaseholder costs.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Fleur Anderson Lab Putney
Housing Environment
Context

Concerns over building safety, particularly regarding cladding and costs for leaseholders.

Question

What steps is the government taking to improve building safety? The Government's programme has not been fast enough or sufficient for thousands of leaseholders in Putney who face unsafe buildings and increased costs. They need faster action and a solution through a building works agency as proposed by Labour, to find, fix, fund, and certify these buildings safely.

Answer from Christopher Pincher

The Government is investing £5.1 billion in removing unsafe cladding from high-rise buildings through a new tax on industry and has distributed £734 million for 689 identified buildings, with 65,000 homes undergoing remediation. Ninety-seven percent of buildings with unsafe aluminium composite material cladding have been remediated or are in the process.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Labour's plan for a building works agency was not addressed

How: We Want To Speed Up The Process And Work With Developers, Local Authorities, And Fire Services

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Q2 Fleur Anderson Lab Putney
Housing Environment
Context

Leaseholders in Putney face issues with unsafe buildings, increased costs, and a lack of confidence in building safety.

Question

What steps is the government taking to improve building safety? Leaseholders cannot sell their homes due to ongoing costs for waking watch or insurance and remediation works. They need Ministers to solve this crisis now. Will the Minister agree to Labour's plan for a building works agency?

Answer from Christopher Pincher

The Government has distributed £734 million through the Building Safety Fund for 689 identified buildings, with 65,000 homes in remediation. Ninety-seven percent of buildings with unsafe aluminium composite material cladding have been addressed.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Labour's plan was not directly addressed or agreed to

How: We Want To Speed Up The Process And Work With Developers, Local Authorities, And Fire Services

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Q3 Andrew Bridgen Con
Context

Leaseholders in North West Leicestershire are concerned about costs and accountability for building safety.

Question

How will the building safety charge benefit leaseholders living in North West Leicestershire? The charge is intended to ensure a powerful regulator oversees building safety from design through operation. Leaseholders need assurance that costs will be transparent and sensible.

Answer from Christopher Pincher

The Building Safety Charge ensures the new regulator is responsible for building safety throughout its lifecycle, with accountable persons for buildings. Leaseholder costs will be limited and transparent to ensure clarity.

Answered
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Q4 Lucy Powell Labour (Co-op) Manchester Central
Housing
Context

The Building Safety Bill is in Committee, and there is concern about protecting leaseholders from remediation costs.

Question

Given the high expectations for resolving this crisis, will the Minister work with us to bring forward necessary legislation? Does he agree we face a closing window of opportunity? We need protection for leaseholders from remediation costs and a comprehensive plan to resolve these issues.

Answer from Christopher Pincher

During the Building Safety Bill's Committee stage, we have been working to ensure that leaseholders are not exposed to unfair costs. This effort started after the Grenfell disaster and will continue.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific commitments or timelines for bringing forward necessary legislation were not provided

How: Collegiality During Amendments

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Q5 Lucy Powell Labour (Co-op) Manchester Central
Housing Parliamentary Procedure
Context

The Building Safety Bill is in Committee, and there is concern about tackling root causes to protect leaseholders.

Question

Given the need for resolution, will he tackle root issues by protecting leaseholders in law? Does he accept that bringing forward a comprehensive plan to assess, fix, fund, and certify all tall buildings before costs escalate is crucial?

Answer from Christopher Pincher

We have committed to raising funds through taxes and levies on residential developers, ensuring buildings needing remediation are addressed. The Building Safety Bill mandates building owners pursue funding routes before passing costs to leaseholders, which can be challenged in tribunals.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific commitments or actions addressing root causes were not provided

How: Further Evidence On Cladding Prevalence Will Help Finalise Decisions

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Q6 Julian Lewis Con New Forest East
Context

The question arises from ongoing discussions about the financial burden on innocent leaseholders who have been wrongly charged for remediation costs.

Question

The Minister has been very accessible, and I have had conversations with him over this issue, but I am still not clear what people can do if they have already been stung with costs in respect of remediation. To go to a tribunal is a gamble, because legal costs may be incurred. Can he give further thought in his approach to this matter to how to get money back for people who have wrongly been charged when they are merely innocent leaseholders?

Answer from Christopher Pincher

I am obliged, as ever, to my right hon. Friend. He is right. We have met on a number of occasions to discuss these issues. I will not labour the point about the public funds we have already expended on remediation or the plans we have to bring forward further support for those who find themselves in this very difficult and distressing situation. I will always talk to him and consider the thoughts and ideas he presents.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide specific steps on how people can recover wrongly charged remediation costs or details about tribunal processes.

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