1-20 of 23 results for subject:Insulation
Librarians' tools
- Search time
- 0.355 seconds
- Solr query time
- 0.005 seconds
- Search query
- subject:Insulation
- We searched for
- subject_t:Insulation OR subject_t:"Cavity wall insulation" OR subject_t:Cladding OR subject_t:"Heat insulation" OR subject_t:"Thermal insulation" OR subject_ses:91686
Type
House
Session
Year
Department
Member
Primary member
More
Answering member
Legislative stage
Legislation
Subject
More
Publisher
Q10
.
Vicky Foxcroft (Lewisham North) (Lab):
Housing is one of the biggest issues in my constituency. Lewisham council is working hard to improve things, and is bringing its housing stock back in house. Non-decent homes have fallen from one in four to one in 10, the repairs backlog has reduced by almost two thirds, and call waiting times have fallen from 70 minutes to four minutes. However, leaseholders and those with cladding issues still need support. Will the Prime Minister update the House on what the Government are doing in those two vital areas?
Q10
.
Vicky Foxcroft (Lewisham North) (Lab):
Housing is one of the biggest issues in my constituency. Lewisham council is working hard to improve things, and is bringing its housing stock back in house. Non-decent homes have fallen from one in four to one in 10, the repairs backlog has reduced by almost two thirds, and call waiting times have fallen from 70 minutes to four minutes. However, leaseholders and those with cladding issues still need support. Will the Prime Minister update the House on what the Government are doing in those two vital areas?
We are tackling the injustice of leasehold and fixing building safety, as my hon. Friend rightly highlighted. I thank her for campaigning on this over many years. We are capping ground rents at £250 to cut costs for almost 4 million leasehold properties. We are investing over £5 billion to remove dangerous cladding, including over £1 billion for social housing. In Lewisham and across the country, I am determined that everyone should have a safe and secure home.
What recent progress he has made on cladding remediation for residential buildings.
What recent progress he has made on cladding remediation for residential buildings.
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to prevent insurers (a) refusing to quote on building insurance cover and (b) charging excessive increases in the premium due to a lack of remediation on buildings under 11 metres which have...
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to prevent insurers (a) refusing to quote on building insurance cover and (b) charging excessive increases in the premium due to a lack of remediation on buildings under 11 metres which have...
The Government continues to actively encourage the insurance industry to take action where significantly inflated insurance costs are apparent. I regularly meet the sector, and its representatives, to press the case for an industry-led solution on this matter and I hope we will hear further, long-awaited news from the industry shortly on this matter. Specifically on buildings under 11m, it is generally accepted that life safety risk is proportional to the height of buildings. The risk to life from historical fire safety defects is lower in buildings under 11m, therefore building safety related remediation works are required in a very small number of buildings under 11m. Whilst individual premium rates are ultimately a matter for insurers, it follows that such rates should be proportionate to the risk.
What recent progress he has made on supporting leaseholders with (a) cladding and (b) non-cladding remediation to residential buildings.
What recent progress he has made on supporting leaseholders with (a) cladding and (b) non-cladding remediation to residential buildings.
The Government expect those who have caused defects to step up to solve them. As the House is aware, 50 developers have now signed contracts to resolve cladding and non-cladding defects in more than 1,100 buildings. For other properties, the Government are making extensive
taxpayer subsidy available to support cladding remediation, along with other mechanisms to pursue those who are responsible.
I have written to the Minister about a constituent of mine who is a leaseholder living in an under-11 metre property and so is not protected by the Building Safety Act 2022. The cladding costs alone will be well over £100,000 and any non-cladding costs will be substantial. That is completely unaffordable for my constituent and it will bankrupt him. So when will the Minister provide a full update, which was promised to me back on 18 August?
I have written to the Minister about a constituent of mine who is a leaseholder living in an under-11 metre property and so is not protected by the Building Safety Act 2022. The cladding costs alone will be well over £100,000 and any non-cladding costs will be substantial. That is completely unaffordable for my constituent and it will bankrupt him. So when will the Minister provide a full update, which was promised to me back on 18 August?
As I say, if the hon. Lady wishes to raise the case of this individual building once again with me or talk to me separately outside, I will be happy to enable that. For every under-11 metre building we are made aware of as requiring additional remediation, we are going through and checking things, and compiling audits, where necessary, to get to the bottom of it. The Government strongly believe that under-11 metre buildings do not need extensive remediation, and we will be happy to talk more about any buildings where these issues have been raised.
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure those seeking mortgages are not required to produce an EWS1 form for buildings under 11 metres for lending purposes.
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure those seeking mortgages are not required to produce an EWS1 form for buildings under 11 metres for lending purposes.
There is no statutory requirement for an EWS1 form to be provided to support a mortgage application. Not all lenders will require an EWS1 form and where appropriate, customers should approach multiple finance providers to access the best commercial offering from the market.
Unless there is clear evidence to the contrary, in properties that are under 11m tall, we would not expect any building safety defects that would cause a risk to life, because it is generally accepted that risk to life is proportional to the height of buildings. Therefore, the lack of an EWS1 should not present a barrier to lending.
Many of the buildings in my constituency that have been found to have cladding defects, including Norfolk House, St Peters Gardens and Leeward Court, are under 18 metres and therefore ineligible for the building safety fund. The only offer made to impacted leaseholders is a loan scheme, with no clarity about how it will work and when it will be made available. When will the Secretary of State’s Department finally step up and extend funding to those blocks under 18 metres that are in need of remediation?
Many of the buildings in my constituency that have been found to have cladding defects, including Norfolk House, St Peters Gardens and Leeward Court, are under 18 metres and therefore ineligible for the building safety fund. The only offer made to impacted leaseholders is a loan scheme, with no clarity about how it will work and when it will be made available. When will the Secretary of State’s Department finally step up and extend funding to those blocks under 18 metres that are in need of remediation?
In terms of buildings with the most dangerous form of cladding, there are five that I am aware of in Lewisham. One has completed work and is awaiting building control sign-off, three have had their unsafe aluminium composite material cladding removed altogether, and the other one has works under way, so we are making good progress there, as we are elsewhere in the country. On buildings below 18 metres, we need to take a more proportionate approach. There are leaseholders who are being asked to pay bills for those buildings that are unconscionable and likely to be unnecessary. I am working intensively with lenders, insurers and building safety experts to change that, because we have to adopt a more proportionate and sensible regime than the one we are experiencing right now.
What steps he is taking to ensure that all residential buildings with unsafe cladding are remediated.
What steps he is taking to ensure that all residential buildings with unsafe cladding are remediated.
Almost 95 per cent of all high-rise buildings identified at the beginning of last year with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding have now been remediated or have works underway.
The Government has announced a further £3.5 billion for the remediation of unsafe cladding on high rise buildings of 18 metres and above, in addition to the £1.6 billion we have already provided. Through an additional package we will also now provide a generous financing scheme to allow buildings of 11-18 metres in height to access finance for remediation of unsafe cladding. Leaseholders will pay no more than £50 per month towards this.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of applications to the Aluminium Composite Material remediation fund from local authorities have been successful.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of applications to the Aluminium Composite Material remediation fund from local authorities have been successful.
The latest information on the Social Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund is available in the Building Safety Programmeâs monthly data release here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-monthly-data-release-july-2020.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on remediation works to remove Aluminium Composite Material from (a) public and (b) social buildings.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on remediation works to remove Aluminium Composite Material from (a) public and (b) social buildings.
The impact of Covid-19 on ACM remediation has been published in the Building Safety Programmeâs monthly data release since the April 2020 data release (published 14 May 2020). The latest information is available in the July data release here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-monthly-data-release-july-2020.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the average timeframe is for processing an application to the Aluminium Composite Material remediation fund.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the average timeframe is for processing an application to the Aluminium Composite Material remediation fund.
Information related to progress of applications to the Private Sector Remediation Fund is reported in the Building Safety Programmeâs monthly data release. It was first reported in the October 2019 data release (published 14 November 2019). The latest information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-monthly-data-release-july-2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to review the budget allocated to the Aluminium Composite Material Remediation fund.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to review the budget allocated to the Aluminium Composite Material Remediation fund.
The £600 million funding which the Government has allocated for the remediation of buildings with unsafe ACM cladding is expected to be sufficient to meet demand. Government funding is not the only means of remediating high-rise residential buildings with unsafe ACM cladding. Building owners are expected to play a part in ensuring that their buildings are made safe.
In more than half of the cases where there is ACM cladding on private sector residential blocks, the original developer or current building owner has agreed to pay or there has been a warranty in place to cover the remediation costs, without passing these on to leaseholders. Whether provided by Government or other sources, availability of funding to protect leaseholders from these costs should not be a barrier for ACM remediation to take place.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has issued to mortgage lenders in relation to the scope of recent buildings safety advice provided by the Independent Expert Advisory Panel.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has issued to mortgage lenders in relation to the scope of recent buildings safety advice provided by the Independent Expert Advisory Panel.
My department has not issued specialist advice to lenders on this topic. The ‘Advice for Building Owners of Multi-storey, multi occupancy residential buildings’, published on 20th January 2020 is advice for Building Owners. It is not advice, or guidance, to the financial services industry.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of buildings guidance issued by the Independent Expert Advisory Panel on the sale of leasehold properties in buildings (a) under and (b) over 18 meters in height.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of buildings guidance issued by the Independent Expert Advisory Panel on the sale of leasehold properties in buildings (a) under and (b) over 18 meters in height.
The Minister for Building Safety is aware that lenders are taking a cautious approach to lending on leasehold properties of all heights, where there may be unsafe external wall systems and where the building owner is unable to evidence the safety of the building.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2020 to Question 8381 on Buildings, whether the Government plans to publish further guidance on (a) when an EWS1 form should be completed and (b) who should complete form.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2020 to Question 8381 on Buildings, whether the Government plans to publish further guidance on (a) when an EWS1 form should be completed and (b) who should complete form.
The EWS1 form was developed by industry, led by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The Department has not issued any guidance in relation to use of the EWS1 form, nor are there plans to do so. The Government is continuing to engage with industry, including RICS, on wider valuation issues around high rise residential buildings.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2020 to Question 12405 on Buildings, if his Department will (a) make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing into public ownership those residential buildings where there has been an...
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2020 to Question 12405 on Buildings, if his Department will (a) make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing into public ownership those residential buildings where there has been an...
It is the Government’s priority to ensure that residents are safe. We are clear that unsafe ACM cladding must be replaced swiftly. Where insufficient progress is being made, building owners can expect further action to be taken, including enforcement.
In the Queen’s Speech, the Government announced legislation which will put beyond doubt that the Fire Safety Order applies to external walls (including cladding) and individual flat entrance doors in multi-occupied residential buildings. This will affirm Fire and Rescue Services’ enforcement role for these buildings.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2020 to Question 12405 on Buildings, what steps his Department will take to recoup the £200 million provided from the public purse to rectify the abject failure of many building owners...
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2020 to Question 12405 on Buildings, what steps his Department will take to recoup the £200 million provided from the public purse to rectify the abject failure of many building owners...
As a condition of funding, Applicants are expected to take all reasonable steps to recover the cost of replacing unsafe ACM cladding from those responsible. This will be repaid to Government once recouped.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2020 to Question 8382 on Buildings: Fire Prevention, whether an additional fund will be made available to leaseholders in buildings whose homes are currently unmortgageable as a result of the presence...
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2020 to Question 8382 on Buildings: Fire Prevention, whether an additional fund will be made available to leaseholders in buildings whose homes are currently unmortgageable as a result of the presence...
Government has committed £600 million to remediate high-rise residential buildings with unsafe ACM cladding. This Government intervention is wholly exceptional. It is based on the unparalleled fire risk ACM poses at this height.
Building safety is the responsibility of the building owner, and they must remedy any safety risks. Building owners should consider all routes to meet costs, protecting leaseholders where they can – for example through warranties and recovering costs from contractors for poor work.
However, we do not want the cost to be a barrier to remediation, so the Department is considering options to support leaseholders with Her Majesty’s Treasury. Building Owners should be transparent about any remediation plans with lenders and managing agents.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2020 to Question 8384 on Buildings: Fire Prevention, whether the Independent Expert Advisory Panel plans to provide any advice to leaseholders in buildings with (a) ACM cladding and (b) exterior cladding...
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2020 to Question 8384 on Buildings: Fire Prevention, whether the Independent Expert Advisory Panel plans to provide any advice to leaseholders in buildings with (a) ACM cladding and (b) exterior cladding...
The role of the Independent Expert Advisory Panel (IEAP) is to advise the Secretary of State on measures that should be taken relating to fire and building safety in existing buildings. Following the IEAPâs advice, updated advice has been issued to building owners on measures they should take to ensure building safety. Leaseholders can access free initial specialist advice to understand their rights through the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE): www.lease-advice.org/
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2020 to Question 8382 on Buildings: Fire Prevention, for what reasons it took the Government more than two years to open the ACM remediation fund after the Grenfell Tower fire.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2020 to Question 8382 on Buildings: Fire Prevention, for what reasons it took the Government more than two years to open the ACM remediation fund after the Grenfell Tower fire.
In May 2018, the Government made £400 million available to social sector landlords to fund the removal and replacement of unsafe ACM cladding on high-rise residential social housing buildings.
It became clear that too many private sector building owners were failing to take responsibility to ensure their buildings were made permanently safe, and at no cost to leaseholders. Therefore, the Government committed £200 million for the removal and replacement of unsafe ACM cladding on private sector residential high-rise buildings.
This funding will remove that barrier. Government intervention to provide funding for the removal of unsafe ACM cladding is wholly exceptional. It is based on the unparalleled fire risk ACM poses, the very real public safety concerns and the abject failure of many building owners to do the right thing by their residents.