Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Aluminium composite material cladding is not the only form of flammable cladding that has prompted...
Conclusion
Aluminium composite material cladding is not the only form of flammable cladding that has prompted serious safety concerns.19 In January 2020 the Department published 9 Q 19 10 Q 59 11 C&AG’s Report, paragraph 11 12 Hansard HC, 19 July 2019, vol 663, col 56WS. 13 Qq 20, 22 14 Qq 23–24; Note dated 17 July 2020 from Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. 15 Q 24; C&AG’s Report, para 1.32 16 Dame Judith Hackitt, Building a Safer Future: Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety: Final Report (Hackitt report), Cm 9607, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, May 2018. 17 Q 25 18 Q 26; Note dated 17 July 2020 from Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. 19 C&AG’s Report, para 6 10 Progress in remediating dangerous cladding advice from its independent expert advisory panel on fire safety, that nonfire-retardant panels made from high-pressure laminate (HPL) present a notable fire hazard on high- rise residential buildings, and should be replaced immediately.20 The Department told us there were around 1,700 high-rise buildings with such unsafe non-ACM cladding.21 In March 2020 the Chancellor announced a £1 billion Building Safety Fund to finance the replacement of such cladding in the private leasehold and social housing sectors.22 The Department was clear that a key reason for this funding, as in its funding to remove ACM cladding in the private sector, was to protect leaseholders from facing “unacceptable costs, in the tens of thousands of pounds”.23
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: December 2020 3.1 The department recognises that ACM is not the only form of cladding that has prompted serious safety concerns. In January 2020, the government broadened the scope of the building regulations ban on combustible materials to cover all materials on buildings of 18 metres or more. This includes products beyond cladding, such as insulation, that can contribute to fire spread. 3.2 The department will write to the Committee providing an update on progress in remediating non-ACM cladding.