Written question asked by Lord Beecham (Labour) on Tuesday, 4 September 2018, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 18 September 2018. It was answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative) on Monday, 17 September 2018 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, in the light of their statement reported on 19 August that “work is under way on 70 per cent of social housing with unsafe cladding”, to ensure that such work (1) is commenced on the remaining 30 per cent, and (2) is carried out on non-social housing.

Answer: Remediation start dates will vary depending on a number of factors including the extent of the work needed. This work cannot be done overnight – and it must be done properly. To help expedite the process the Government has agreed to fully fund the removal and replacement of unsafe ACM cladding on residential social housing buildings, 18m and above owned by local authorities and housing associations, with costs estimated at £400 million. For the private sector, the Secretary of State has written to private building owners that do not have any remediation plans in place, urging them to follow the lead from private companies already doing the right thing, by getting on with the task of remediating and not passing on costs to leaseholders.

Secondary information