Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 22
17th Report - The Remediation of Dangerous Cladding
Published 21 Mar 2025
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee The Remediation of Dangerous Cladding All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
We heard concerns about insufficient capacity and capability at the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), which oversees the safety and standards of buildings over 18 metres. The HBF told us that the BSR was continuing to hold up development, including self-remediation work, for buildings over 18 metres. In written evidence, the HBF reported that applications to the BSR 31 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report: Government response, 26 February 2025 32 Qq 19, 39, 42 33 Higher–risk buildings are residential buildings taller than 7 storeys or 18 metres. 34 MHCLG Remediation Acceleration Plan 35 Qq 22–23, 35 16 for building control approval, required before works can begin on site, were taking for to five times longer that the targeted 12 weeks.36 When we asked about the reasons for these hold ups, the HBF acknowledged that while some applications were complex, there was a lack of qualified people in the BSR to do the work. The LGA explained that this was new work for the BSR, and the regulator was learning on the job. In written evidence, the National Federation of Roofing Contractors told us about examples of BSR inspectors not having fire-safety backgrounds, and an industry-wide shortage of cladding experts to fill BSR posts.37 36 Q 15; RDC0006, Written evidence submitted by the Home Builders Federation 37 Qq 17, 19; RDC0092, Written evidence submitted by the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, 4 February 2025 17 2 Protecting residents Improving the remediation experience for residents
From: Public Accounts Committee, 17th Report - The Remediation of Dangerous Cladding (HC 362), 21 March 2025
Government response
Latest Treasury Minutes progress report to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Seventeenth Report of Session 2024-26
The government responded to the whole report on 4 June 2026.
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Seventeenth report from Session 2024-25
Published 16 May 2025.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government agrees with most of the Committee's recommendations on the remediation of dangerous cladding, with target dates between summer and December 2025, but disagrees with the recommendation on construction manufacturers paying a share of remediation costs.
- On the Remediation Acceleration Plan, the government agrees to update the Committee in Autumn 2025. It says it "has not seen significant evidence that non-cladding defects are slowing down remediation" but is committed to removing blockers.
- On construction manufacturers paying a share of remediation costs, the government disagrees. It says it is consulting on redress routes in the Construction Products Reform Green Paper and that leaseholders and tenants are protected from the cost of cladding remediation.
- The government will publish latest building number estimates "by the summer", but the timing of cost and completion date estimates "will depend on the outcome of the forthcoming Spending Review".
- On insurance, the government agrees and will share an update on progress by the end of 2025. It is gathering data on premiums and is considering whether government "might support industry to reduce fire related liabilities".