Written question asked by Ruth Cadbury (Labour) on Thursday, 16 July 2020, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 20 July 2020. It was answered by Christopher Pincher (Conservative) on Friday, 24 July 2020 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to review the requirement for buildings to be above 18 metres in order to receive funding under the Building Safety Fund.

Answer: Dame Judith Hackitt and other experts have recommended that we focus further public funding on remediating unsafe cladding from high rise buildings. Higher rise buildings are the least likely to safely evacuate in the event of a fire spreading via external cladding. 

There will be a small degree of flexibility to allow the fund to cover buildings that have been built just under the 18 metres threshold and have similar fire safety strategies as those above 18 metres.

Secondary information