Select Committee · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee

Building Safety: Remediation and Funding

Status: Closed Opened: 19 Jan 2022 Closed: 23 May 2022 16 recommendations 5 conclusions 1 report

The purpose of this inquiry is to examine the effectiveness and impact of the Government’s planned measures to make developers and industry cover the costs of remediation, to scrutinise whether the Secretary of State’s approach goes far enough to finally fix this crisis, and to examine what the funding arrangement to be agreed with industry … Show more

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Seventh Report - Building Safety: Remediation and Funding HC 1063 11 Mar 2022 21 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

5 items
5 Recommendation Seventh Report - Building Safety: Remed… Rejected

Our longstanding view is that leaseholders should not pay a penny to rectify faults not...

Our longstanding view is that leaseholders should not pay a penny to rectify faults not of their doing and to make their homes safe. The amendments tabled to the Building Safety Bill show that the Government does not share that view. The Government should scrap the cap on non-cladding costs … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government has rejected the recommendation to scrap the cap on non-cladding costs for leaseholders, citing existing protections for leaseholders.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
8 Recommendation Seventh Report - Building Safety: Remed… Rejected

Instead of its piecemeal method of funding remediation according to building height and type of...

Instead of its piecemeal method of funding remediation according to building height and type of defect, the Government should implement our previously recommended Comprehensive Building Safety Fund. The fund should cover the costs of remediating all building safety defects on buildings of any height where the original “polluter(s)” cannot be … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government rejects the recommendation for a Comprehensive Building Safety Fund, stating it would drive unnecessary remediation works and negatively impact the housing market and does not agree that overseas building owners should not be eligible for remediation funding.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
11 Recommendation Seventh Report - Building Safety: Remed… Rejected

Governments share responsibility for the building safety crisis on account of their regulatory failings.

Governments share responsibility for the building safety crisis on account of their regulatory failings. Everyone involved would instantly have more funds to spend on remediation if the Government played its part by removing VAT on building safety activity, which would enable homes to be made safer. The Government should remove … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government rejects the recommendation to remove VAT on building safety activity, stating that the supply of fire safety equipment is already eligible for VAT relief and that there is no guarantee savings would be passed on to leaseholders and that tax policy is a …
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
15 Recommendation Seventh Report - Building Safety: Remed… Rejected

As they stand, the Government’s proposals create a bizarre lucky dip in which some leaseholders...

As they stand, the Government’s proposals create a bizarre lucky dip in which some leaseholders may see their costs capped at £10,000 (£15,000 in London); some, because they have not yet paid for cladding remediation, may pay nothing at all; and others, who have already paid for cladding remediation, will … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government states that this information has not been collected systematically and the department does not have plans to collect it from leaseholders.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
21 Recommendation Seventh Report - Building Safety: Remed… Rejected

The evidence we received clearly indicates that it should be the regulator—and not building owners—who...

The evidence we received clearly indicates that it should be the regulator—and not building owners—who decides whether a building needs a fire risk assessment. As such, we recommend that the Building Safety Regulator decides whether a building needs a fire risk assessment; sets the standard that a building need to … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government rejects the recommendation, stating that the Responsible Person under the Fire Safety Order should determine the need and timing of fire risk assessments. The Building Safety Regulator will focus on higher-risk buildings and will assess safety risks including the spread of fire.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Oral evidence sessions

3 sessions
Date Witnesses
21 Feb 2022 Rt Hon Michael Gove · Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities View ↗
2 Feb 2022 Charles Roe · UK Finance, Cllr Rachel Blake · Local Government Association, Geeta Nada · Metropolitan Thames Valley, James Dalton · Association of British Insurers (ABI), Kate Henderson · National Housing Federation, Richard Collins · Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) View ↗
31 Jan 2022 Andrew Bulmer · Institute of Residential Property Management, Ben Beadle · National Residential Landlords Association, Ben Beadle · National Residential Landlords' Association, David O'Leary · Home Builders Federation, John Mulryan · Ballymore, Liam Spender · UK Cladding Action Group, Peter Caplehorn · Construction Products Association View ↗

Who gave evidence

14 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Andrew Bulmer · CEO Institute of Residential Property Management 1
Ben Beadle · Chief Executive National Residential Landlords Association 1
Ben Beadle · Chief Executive National Residential Landlords' Association 1
Charles Roe · Director of Mortgages UK Finance 1
Cllr Rachel Blake · Environment, Economy, Housing and Transport Board Local Government Association 1
David O'Leary · Executive Director Home Builders Federation 1
Geeta Nada · Chief Executive, and chair of the G15 group of Lo… Metropolitan Thames Valley 1
James Dalton · Director General Insurance Policy Association of British Insurers (ABI) 1
John Mulryan · Group Managing Director Ballymore 1
Kate Henderson · CEO National Housing Federation 1
Liam Spender · Representative UK Cladding Action Group 1
Peter Caplehorn · Chief Executive Construction Products Association 1
Richard Collins · Interim Chief Executive Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) 1
Rt Hon Michael Gove · Secretary of State Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities 1

Correspondence

10 letters
DateDirectionTitle
17 May 2022 To cttee Letter from the Secretary of State to the Chair dated 7 May 2022 concerning bui…
22 Mar 2022 To cttee Letter from the Chair to the Association of British Insurers dated 22 March 202…
9 Mar 2022 To cttee Letter from the Association of British Insurers to the Chair dated 8 March 2022…
8 Mar 2022 To cttee Letter from G15 to the Chair dated 4 March 2022 following up evidence given bef…
8 Mar 2022 To cttee Letter from the British Standards Institution dated 2 March 2022 concerning the…
1 Mar 2022 To cttee Letter from the Construction Products Association to the Chair dated 17 Februar…
1 Mar 2022 To cttee Letter from the National Residential Landlords Association to the Chair dated 2…
22 Feb 2022 To cttee Letter from Ballymore to the Chair dated 11 February 2022 concerning evidence g…
22 Feb 2022 To cttee Letter from the Secretary of State to the Chair dated 21 February 2022 concerni…
22 Feb 2022 To cttee Letter from the Home Builders Federation to the Chair dated 16 February 2022 co…