Written question asked by John Healey (Labour) on Tuesday, 4 July 2017, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 6 July 2017. It was answered by Lord Sharma (Conservative) on Monday, 11 September 2017 on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will list the cases where samples of exterior cladding have failed the combustibility test commissioned by his Department; and in which of those cases the cladding (a) needs to be removed and (b) can remain in place.

Answer: Across England there are 173 social housing buildings that are over 18 metres tall and clad with some form of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM). Systems that failed the Government’s large scale cladding tests are in use on 165. Cladding systems that passed the tests are in use on eight social housing towers. As each test was completed the Government contacted the owners of all affected buildings to share detailed advice drawn up by the Independent Expert Advisory Panel. This covers steps to ensure the safety of residents including, where necessary, removal of cladding.

Secondary information