Key Facts

• The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 will be amended to include new requirements for building owners or managers.
• Fire risk assessors must be accredited under the proposed changes.
• Inspectors must prioritize premises that are considered at most risk.
• Leaseholders shall not be considered responsible persons unless they also own the freehold.
• Regulations must specify when a waking watch is required in buildings with fire safety failings.
• Electrical appliances will be included in the Fire Safety Order, and checks must be conducted every five years.
• The Fire Safety Bill does not address phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower inquiry recommendations.
• New clause 1 would implement key recommendations from phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower inquiry.
• Building owners or managers would share information about external walls, conduct inspections on fire entrance doors and lifts, and provide evacuation instructions to residents.
• More than 80% of private sector residential buildings and nearly half of social sector residential buildings wrapped in Grenfell-style ACM cladding have not had it removed.
• The Government missed deadlines to make blocks safe by June 2019 for the social sector, and June 2020 for the private sector.
• Tens of thousands of people live in unsafe high-rise buildings.
• The speaker acknowledges all-party parliamentary support on this matter.
• Sir Robert Neill is mentioned as a former Fire Minister and a fellow West Ham supporter.
• The Bill aims to make provision about the application of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
• Electricity causes over 14,000 fires a year in England, almost half of all accidental house fires.
• There are approximately 4,000 tower blocks and more than 480,000 individual flats in high-rise buildings in England alone.
• The all-party parliamentary group on fire safety has been active for more than 20 years.
• The all-party parliamentary group on online and home electrical safety contributes significantly to this issue with professional body support.
• New clause 1 addresses recommendations from part one of the Grenfell inquiry, including material information availability, building plans, lift inspections, evacuation procedures, and fire door inspections.
• The amendment proposes a register of white goods and regular checks.
• A serious fire at Shepherd's Court occurred four years ago due to a tumble dryer recall issue.
• The Building Safety Bill is seen as a more detailed piece of work but has criticisms.
• The freehold of Northpoint in Bob Neill's constituency is owned by an offshore investment trust linked to the Tchenguiz family.
• Frankham, a consultancy firm, highlights insurers' advice against signing EWS1 forms due to potential legal risks.
• London Fire Brigade enforces on-site permanent waking watch requirements while other brigades have different approaches.
• The timeframe for fire safety consultation conclusions and actions is requested.
• The Bill does not contain a single measure recommended by the Grenfell Tower inquiry.
• Up to 60,000 residents are still living in buildings with dangerous cladding over three years after the tragedy.
• The Government set a deadline of end of 2019 for social sector blocks and June 2020 for private sector blocks to be made safe, both missed.
• Over 80% of private sector buildings and nearly half of social sector buildings affected have not had dangerous cladding removed and replaced.
• Fletcher is an electrical engineer and former company manager.
• The amendment focuses on fixed-wire testing and appliance registration to ensure building safety.
• Current law mandates electrical inspections in rented properties, but not in privately owned ones.
• Liberal Democrats support but criticise the Fire Safety Bill as inadequate.
• New clause 2 aims to require accreditation of fire risk assessors and establish a public register.
• New clause 4 focuses on defining responsible persons to exclude leaseholders without direct interest in freehold.
• In St Albans, some residents face potential service charge increases of £20,000 per home.
• The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee recommended upfront funding for remediation works.
• Three years after the Grenfell Tower fire, there are still issues with removing flammable ACM cladding from both social and private-sector tower blocks.
• Coronavirus has caused contractors to stop work on cladding sites, while others have not even begun due to legal disputes.
• Some residents face extortionate fees for interim safety measures like waking watches, which have become outdated by the National Fire Chiefs Council’s advice.
• New clause 5 would require both this Government and the Welsh Government to specify when a waking watch must be in place for buildings with fire safety failures.
• The FBU believes that the legislation requires investment in professional firefighters and an expansion of fire inspectors.
• Between 2010 and 2016, there were cuts to central funding for fire and rescue services by 28% in real terms, followed by a further cut of 15% by 2020.
• These cuts have led to the loss of 11,000 fire service personnel (20% reduction).
• On Boris Johnson’s watch as Mayor of London, the London Fire Brigade was required to make gross savings of over £100 million leading to significant reductions in staff and resources.
• The incident at Grenfell has highlighted issues that need resolution regarding liability for remediation costs.
• There is a proposal to identify an individual post holder responsible for fire safety in buildings, akin to roles like director of children’s services or director of public health.
• New electrical risks from small appliances and chargers are causing significant but currently minor fires.
• The issue affects thousands of residents in towns like Reading and Woodley.
• There are multiple forms of dangerous cladding, including ACM, composite materials, and wooden cladding found in many blocks.
• New clause 1 would require managers to share information with the fire service about fire safety plans and evacuation procedures.
• New clause 2 proposes accreditation for fire risk assessors.
• The Grenfell tragedy had repercussions for all parts of the United Kingdom.
• The Northern Ireland Housing Executive conducted risk assessments regarding cladding, raising concerns about potentially defective cavity wall insulation in 63% of cases.
• £1.6 billion of Government funding supports a remediation programme to remove unsafe cladding from high-rise residential buildings.
• The fire safety order consultation concludes on 12 October.
• A task and finish group co-chaired by the Fire Sector Federation and the National Fire Chiefs Council will advise on how to commence the Bill by the end of September.
• The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations came into effect on 1 June 2020.
• Andrew Slaughter questioned why fire safety regulations apply to some tenant groups but not others based on their tenure.
• Dame Judith Hackitt's review recognised the role of residents in maintaining fire safety.
• A Building Safety Bill published in July sets out a clear duty regarding resident responsibilities.
• £10 million of funding has been provided to support building fire risk reviews by the end of 2021.
• The National Fire Chiefs Council is updating guidance on waking watches and will advise on implementation.
• The Government is encouraging mortgage lenders to accept other equivalent evidence from building owners for valuation purposes.
• The Fire Safety Bill aims to implement Grenfell Tower phase 1 recommendations on inspection and information sharing.
• A £1.6 billion fund supports the removal of unsafe cladding from high-rise residential buildings.
• A £10 million programme will undertake a building risk review for all high-rise residential buildings in England by December 2021.
• Sarah Jones made her maiden speech during the first full debate on the Grenfell tragedy in July 2017.
• Firefighter numbers have decreased by 20% over the past decade due to cuts.
• The Building Safety Bill was published on 20 July.