Parliamentary activity

Answering body: Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

The Government brought forward extensive protections for leaseholders through the Building Safety Act 2022, enabling those responsible for historical safety defects to be pursued and held to account. It also provides for leaseholders and other interested persons to seek to recover costs already paid in relation to the remediation of historical safety defects via a remediation contribution order. The department will continue to monitor compliance with the Act's provisions and allow the new regime to bed in before deciding whether further legislation should be brought forward.

Answering body: Home Office

The Protection Uplift fund is not currently incorporated into Fire and Rescue Services’ core spending power as it is a ring-fenced grant provided to fund specific capabilities. The Home Office will continue to review how Fire and Rescue Services are best supported to increase fire protection capability and capacity.

Answering body: Home Office

The Department has engaged with many stakeholders in relation to recommendation 33.22e in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s Phase 1 report – that the owner and manager of every high-rise residential building be required by law to prepare personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs) for all residents whose ability to self-evacuate may be compromised (such as persons with reduced mobility or cognition).

These stakeholders include Fire & Rescue Services, Local Government, fire safety experts, leaseholders, housing associations, disability groups, residents’ groups, individual residents and members of the public.

Summaries of many these discussions are detailed in the Government’s response to the PEEPs consultation. That document and the ongoing live public consultation, sets out the Government’s position on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendation in question.

Answering body: Home Office

My Noble Friend the Minister of State, Home Office and Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (Lord Greenhalgh) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:

I am pleased to make a number of announcements to the House today that set out both the Government’s fire reform agenda and the introduction of a package of fire safety measures that will protect the public for years to come. Taken together, this is about:

Driving forward reform of the Fire and Rescue Service by launching the Fire Reform White Paper and consultation (CP 670).

Implementing a package of measures to improve fire safety.

Improving transparency and engaging the public.

Fire Reform White Paper and Consultation

The Fire Reform White Paper and consultation seeks to introduce system-wide reform to strengthen fire and rescue services across England. The proposals are set out under three key themes: people; professionalism; and governance. The consultation is launching today to seek views and will be open for 10 weeks.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reforming-our-fire-and-rescue-service

Review of the National Joint Council

As set out in the White Paper the government will launch a review of the National Joint Council for Local Authority Fire and Rescue Services. The review, which will commence later this year, will consider whether the pay negotiation mechanism in England is fit for purpose.

The Fire Safety Act 2021

The Fire Safety Act 2021 was commenced in full on 16 May 2022. This will clarify that structure, external walls and flat entrance doors of blocks of flats are within scope of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the Fire Safety Order) and ensure that they are included in that building’s fire risk assessment.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-act-2021

Fire Risk Assessment Prioritisation Tool

To support commencement of the Fire Safety Act 2021, the Home Office is publishing supporting guidance issued under article 50 of the Fire Safety Order and launching an online prioritisation tool. The new Fire Risk Assessment Prioritisation Tool has been developed to help Responsible Persons identify the priority for updating fire risk assessments.

Fire Risk Assessment Prioritisation Tool

Fire Safety (Regulations) 2022

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 will require Responsible Persons to send information on high-rise residential buildings which will help fire and rescue services better plan for and respond to a fire. They will also improve fire safety in high-rise buildings by setting a baseline on safety checks on lifts for firefighters and other key pieces of firefighting equipment and, in mid-rise buildings, on doors. They will also make residents in all multi-occupied residential buildings feel safer by providing them with fire safety instructions and information on the importance of fire doors.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-england-regulations-2022

Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) consultation response, and new consultation

We are publishing the responses to our PEEPs consultation which we ran from 8 June to 19 July 2021.

We have taken account of the substantial difficulties of mandating PEEPs in high rise residential buildings and have developed new proposals that we are confident deliver proportionality, practicality and improve safety for those vulnerable people living in the highest risk buildings. We will now consult and seek views on these proposals.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/personal-emergency-evacuation-plans

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/emergency-evacuation-information-sharing

Fourth thematic update on Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations

We are publishing our latest update on progress against Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations. This shows progress made by Government departments, and relevant public authorities, including the London Fire Brigade, and National Fire Chiefs Council. The tracker provides a digestible, transparent way for the public to hold those responsible for delivering recommendations to account.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/quarterly-thematic-update-on-progress-against-the-grenfell-tower-inquiry-phase-1-recommendations

Fires in high-rise residential buildings in England are rare, and thankfully deaths from fires in high-rise residential buildings are extremely rare. The Government, however, is committed to learning the lessons of the tragedy at Grenfell Tower.

Answering body: Home Office

I am pleased to make a number of announcements to the House today that set out both the Government’s fire reform agenda and the introduction of a package of fire safety measures that will protect the public for years to come. Taken together, this is about:

Driving forward reform of the Fire and Rescue Service by launching the Fire Reform White Paper and consultation (CP 670).

Implementing a package of measures to improve fire safety.

Improving transparency and engaging the public.

Fire Reform White Paper and Consultation

The Fire Reform White Paper and consultation seeks to introduce system-wide reform to strengthen fire and rescue services across England. The proposals are set out under three key themes: people; professionalism; and governance. The consultation is launching today to seek views and will be open for 10 weeks.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reforming-our-fire-and-rescue-service

Review of the National Joint Council

As set out in the White Paper the government will launch a review of the National Joint Council for Local Authority Fire and Rescue Services. The review, which will commence later this year, will consider whether the pay negotiation mechanism in England is fit for purpose.

The Fire Safety Act 2021

The Fire Safety Act 2021 was commenced in full on 16 May 2022. This will clarify that structure, external walls and flat entrance doors of blocks of flats are within scope of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the Fire Safety Order) and ensure that they are included in that building’s fire risk assessment.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-act-2021

Fire Risk Assessment Prioritisation Tool

To support commencement of the Fire Safety Act 2021, the Home Office is publishing supporting guidance issued under article 50 of the Fire Safety Order and launching an online prioritisation tool. The new Fire Risk Assessment Prioritisation Tool has been developed to help Responsible Persons identify the priority for updating fire risk assessments.

Fire Risk Assessment Prioritisation Tool

Fire Safety (Regulations) 2022

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 will require Responsible Persons to send information on high-rise residential buildings which will help fire and rescue services better plan for and respond to a fire. They will also improve fire safety in high-rise buildings by setting a baseline on safety checks on lifts for firefighters and other key pieces of firefighting equipment and, in mid-rise buildings, on doors. They will also make residents in all multi-occupied residential buildings feel safer by providing them with fire safety instructions and information on the importance of fire doors.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-england-regulations-2022

Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) consultation response, and new consultation

We are publishing the responses to our PEEPs consultation which we ran from 8 June to 19 July 2021.

We have taken account of the substantial difficulties of mandating PEEPs in high rise residential buildings and have developed new proposals that we are confident deliver proportionality, practicality and improve safety for those vulnerable people living in the highest risk buildings. We will now consult and seek views on these proposals.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/personal-emergency-evacuation-plans

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/emergency-evacuation-information-sharing

Fourth thematic update on Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations

We are publishing our latest update on progress against Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations. This shows progress made by Government departments, and relevant public authorities, including the London Fire Brigade, and National Fire Chiefs Council. The tracker provides a digestible, transparent way for the public to hold those responsible for delivering recommendations to account.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/quarterly-thematic-update-on-progress-against-the-grenfell-tower-inquiry-phase-1-recommendations

Fires in high-rise residential buildings in England are rare, and thankfully deaths from fires in high-rise residential buildings are extremely rare. The Government, however, is committed to learning the lessons of the tragedy at Grenfell Tower.

Answering body: Home Office

The Government intends to publish the next progress report on the implementation of the recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase One report in April.

Answering body: Home Office

An impact assessment for the Fire Safety Act 2021 was published alongside its introduction on 12 March 2020 and is available here Impact Assessment (parliament.uk).

The Government intends to lay fire safety regulations to implement the majority of the recommendations made by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry in the Phase 1 report, which require a change in the law, as soon as possible once the Fire Safety Act 2021 is commenced in full in England. The impact assessment published alongside the Fire Safety Consultation on 9 July 2020 included an assessment of the costs for the planned fire safety regulations and is available here Fire safety - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). A new impact assessment will be published alongside the regulations when they are laid.

Answering body: Home Office

The Home Office has a programme to update Fire Safety Order guidance which will reflect the latest legislative and policy positions when they are published over the next year to support the regulations to implement Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations and the fire safety changes planned through Building Safety Bill.

While existing guidance does not have information on e-scooters, as these have come into usage since they were developed, London Fire Brigade has issued some guidance through a press release on how to use and store them safety from a fire safety perspective. We will look to work this advice into updated guidance where appropriate.

The advice is available here:

London Fire Brigade backs TfL ban on dangerous private e-scooters on London’s transport network | London Fire Brigade (london-fire.gov.uk)

Answering body: Home Office

The Home Office has a programme to update Fire Safety Order guidance which will reflect the latest legislative and policy positions when they are published over the next year to support the regulations to implement Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations and the fire safety changes planned through Building Safety Bill. While existing guidance does not have information on e-scooters, as these have come into usage since they were developed, London Fire Brigade has issued some guidance through a press release on how to use and store them safety from a fire safety perspective. We will look to work this advice into updated guidance where appropriate.

The advice is available here:

London Fire Brigade backs TfL ban on dangerous private e-scooters on London’s transport network | London Fire Brigade (london-fire.gov.uk)

Answering body: Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

The Government accepted, in principle, all of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s Phase 1 recommendations for central government. I chair the quarterly Grenfell Inquiry Recommendations Board to monitor progress against these recommendations and a tracker is published on gov.uk every 6 months.

The bereaved families and survivors of the Grenfell Tower tragedy deserve justice, not only through the Inquiry and police investigations, but also through Government creating a legacy of lasting change and reforms to building safety. Our Building Safety Bill will make that a reality.

Answering body: Home Office

The Government is clear that building safety is the responsibility of building owners. To help increase the pace of remediation, the Government has made £5 billion of taxpayer funding available for the remediation of unsafe cladding on high rise residential buildings.

Across 2020/21 and 2021/22, the Government has also allocated around £50m in additional taxpayer funding to address the fire safety issues that arose from the Grenfell Tower fire. The majority of this funding has been allocated to FRAs and the NFCC to:

strengthen protection capacity and capability;

deliver the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 operational recommendations;

deliver the Building Risk Review programme; and establish a central strategic leadership hub

Decisions on how to allocate their resources to deliver their statutory duties most effectively is a matter for individual Fire and Rescue Authorities, based on their assessment of local risk.

Overall fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.3 billion in 2021/22. Standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities will see an increase in core spending power of 2.6 per cent in cash terms in 2021/22 compared to 2020/21.

The London Fire Brigade is part of the Greater London Authority (GLA) and it is a matter for the Mayor to set the budget for the GLA’s functional bodies, including the London Fire Commissioner.

The total resource reserves held by standalone fire and rescue authorities at March 2019 was £538m.This is an increase of £4.7m or 1% compared with March 2015 and is equivalent to 39% of their core spending power.

Answering body: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

On 10 March 2021 we issued a letter to fire safety professionals and building control bodies reminding them that Kingspan has retracted three test reports. The letter is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-building-control-bodies-on-the-retraction-of-three-tests-carried-out-on-kingspan-k15-insulation

The letter recommends that fire safety professionals and buildings control bodies review their records to check that any assessments they have carried out using these tests are identified and revisited in light of the information highlighted during the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. The content of this letter is not new and is simply a reminder of the steps they should take in light of this information.

On 5 July 2021, the Government introduced the Building Safety Bill which set out the biggest reforms to building safety regulation for a generation, including provisions to strengthen and extend the scope of the powers available to the Government to regulate construction products.

The Bill will require manufacturers to ensure that their products are safe before putting them on the United Kingdom market. It also paves the way for a national regulator for construction products being set up within the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) to oversee the new regime. The regulator will have robust inspection, market surveillance and enforcement capability so unsafe products can be removed from the market.

Answering body: Home Office

Today, the Government publishes a new consultation on Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans in High-rise Residential Buildings which will be open from 8 June to 19 July 2021.

This new consultation contains proposals to implement the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 Report recommendations on Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans in high-rise residential buildings. These recommendations require a change in law to place new requirements on owners or managers of multi-occupied high-rise residential buildings.

This consultation supports delivery of two of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations and is part of the government’s package of reforms to improve building and fire safety in all regulated premises where people live, stay or work.

We are consulting on the following proposals:

Proposal 1: We propose to require the Responsible Person to prepare a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan for every resident who self-identifies to them as unable to self-evacuate (subject to the resident’s voluntary self-identification) and to do so in consultation with them.

Proposal 2: We propose to provide a template to assist the Responsible Person and the residents in completing the plan, and to support consistency at a national level.

Proposal 3: We propose to require the Responsible Person to complete and keep up to date information about residents in their building who would have difficulty self-evacuating in the event of a fire (and who have voluntarily self-identified as such), and to place it in an information box on the premises to assist effective evacuation during a rescue by the fire service.

Proposal 4: We propose, in order to assist the Responsible Person and support consistency at a national level, to provide a template, most likely in a one-page format, to capture the key information to be provided in the information box.

Further details can be found in the consultation and its supportive documents available at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/personal-emergency-evacuation-plans. A copy of the consultation will also be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Answering body: Home Office

My Noble Friend the Minister of State, Home Office and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (Lord Greenhalgh) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:

Today, the Government publishes a new consultation on Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans in High-rise Residential Buildings which will be open from 8 June to 19 July 2021.

This new consultation contains proposals to implement the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 Report recommendations on Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans in high-rise residential buildings. These recommendations require a change in law to place new requirements on owners or managers of multi-occupied high-rise residential buildings.

This consultation supports delivery of two of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations and is part of the government’s package of reforms to improve building and fire safety in all regulated premises where people live, stay or work.

We are consulting on the following proposals:

Proposal 1: We propose to require the Responsible Person to prepare a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan for every resident who self-identifies to them as unable to self-evacuate (subject to the resident’s voluntary self-identification) and to do so in consultation with them.

Proposal 2: We propose to provide a template to assist the Responsible Person and the residents in completing the plan, and to support consistency at a national level.

Proposal 3: We propose to require the Responsible Person to complete and keep up to date information about residents in their building who would have difficulty self-evacuating in the event of a fire (and who have voluntarily self-identified as such), and to place it in an information box on the premises to assist effective evacuation during a rescue by the fire service.

Proposal 4: We propose, in order to assist the Responsible Person and support consistency at a national level, to provide a template, most likely in a one-page format, to capture the key information to be provided in the information box.

Further details can be found in the consultation and its supportive documents available at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/personal-emergency-evacuation-plans. A copy of the consultation will also be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Answering body: Home Office

The Home Office will be consulting on Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) in high-rise residential settings shortly. This consultation follows the recent Fire Safety Consultation (FSC) which sought views on the recommendations in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 Report, details of this consultation can be found here.

Answering body: Home Office

Today, the Government publishes its response to the Fire Safety Consultation held from 20 July -12 October 2020.

This public consultation was a vital step in a process to ensure that the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the ‘Fire Safety Order’) continues to be fit for purpose as part of the Government’s consideration of the reform of the wider building safety landscape. The consultation sought views on a number of proposals to:

Strengthen the FSO and improve compliance in all regulated premises (section 1).

Implement the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 Report recommendations that require a change in the law (section 2).

Improve the effectiveness of consultation between building control bodies and fire and rescue authorities on planning for building work and the arrangements for the handover of fire safety information (section 3).

We received feedback from over 250 stakeholders with an interest in building and fire safety, including residents, responsible persons and enforcing authorities, which we have used to inform our response. The Government has listened, and now we are taking action.

We will be bringing forward a number of changes to the Fire Safety Order, legislating where necessary primarily via the Building Safety Bill, as well as through building regulations fire safety guidance, to strengthen fire safety in all regulated buildings. We will:

Improve the quality of fire risk assessments by requiring that a Responsible Person (RP) must not appoint a person to assist them with undertaking a fire risk assessment unless they are competent and a requirement on all RPs to record their completed fire risk assessments and prescribed information. The name and/or organisation of any person engaged by the RP to undertake all or part of the fire risk assessment will also need to be recorded to assist enforcing authorities undertaking enforcement action to establish compliance.

Improve the identification of RPs by requiring them to record (and update as necessary) who they are, and the extent of their responsibility under the Fire Safety Order, and to include a UK based address. This will sit alongside a further proposal to require all RPs to take reasonable steps to identify themselves to each other where they share or have duties in respect of the same premises. A new requirement will also be introduced to ensure that information is transferred effectively between outgoing RPs and their replacements.

Amend existing provision relating to statutory guidance for RPs to include provision that failure to follow such guidance may be considered in court proceedings for breaches of the Order as evidence of such a breach, and conversely proof of following guidance may be considered as evidence of compliance.

Increase the level of fines from Level 3 (£1,000) to Level 5 (unlimited) for offences in relation to the impersonation of an inspector, failure to comply with specific requirements imposed by an inspector, and failure to comply with requirements relating to the installation of luminous tube signs.

Amend the guidance in Approved Document B of the Building Regulations to require all new buildings above 11 metres to provide a readily locatable, accessible and secure Premises Information Box, to tie in with the height threshold for new buildings to require sprinklers and signage.

The Fire Safety Consultation consulted on a range of areas to strengthen fire safety. Where further work is required to develop policy, we will continue to consider the findings of the consultation and engage with the sector and stakeholders to inform ongoing policy development in these areas.

The Fire Safety Consultation also included proposals to implement recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 Report requiring changes to the law. We will consider these proposals further in light of the consultation responses and – subject to the Fire Safety Bill gaining Royal Assent – intend to lay Regulations before the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase One Report which will deliver on the Inquiry’s recommendations. These will include measures around checking fire doors and lifts.

Three of these proposals related to Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs). The Government’s commitment to implementing the Inquiry’s recommendations remains undimmed, as does our commitment to ensure those most affected by the tragic events at Grenfell Tower – the bereaved and survivors – continue to have a voice in their implementation. It is important that we get this right and ensure the voice of residents and those likely to be affected by the proposals are heard. That is why we have decided to undertake a further consultation this spring to seek additional views on the complex issue of personal emergency evacuation plans in relation to the proposals to implement the relevant Grenfell recommendations. Further details about this will be available soon on the Government’s website.

Finally, proposals to improve the engagement between Building Control Bodies and Fire Authorities in reviewing plans for building work and for the handover of fire safety information to the Responsible Person on completion will be implemented through changes to legislation and guidance.

We are determined to ensure that the public feel safe and are safe from fire in all regulated premises regardless of where they live, stay or work. These changes, alongside the Fire Safety Bill, Building Safety Bill and planned overhaul of the statutory guidance provided under the Fire Safety Order are important steps needed to strengthen the whole regulatory system for building and fire safety. Taken together they will help to ensure there is greater accountability and responsibility for fire and structural safety issues throughout the lifecycle of all buildings regulated by the Fire Safety Order.

Further detail of the changes we are making can be found in the consultation response. The consultation response will be available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fire-safety. A copy will also be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Answering body: Home Office

My Noble Friend the Minister of State, Home Office and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (Lord Greenhalgh) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:

Today, the Government publishes its response to the Fire Safety Consultation held from 20 July -12 October 2020.

This public consultation was a vital step in a process to ensure that the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the ‘Fire Safety Order’) continues to be fit for purpose as part of the Government’s consideration of the reform of the wider building safety landscape. The consultation sought views on a number of proposals to:

Strengthen the FSO and improve compliance in all regulated premises (section 1).

Implement the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 Report recommendations that require a change in the law (section 2).

Improve the effectiveness of consultation between building control bodies and fire and rescue authorities on planning for building work and the arrangements for the handover of fire safety information (section 3).

We received feedback from over 250 stakeholders with an interest in building and fire safety, including residents, responsible persons and enforcing authorities, which we have used to inform our response. The Government has listened, and now we are taking action.

We will be bringing forward a number of changes to the Fire Safety Order, legislating where necessary primarily via the Building Safety Bill, as well as through building regulations fire safety guidance, to strengthen fire safety in all regulated buildings. We will:

Improve the quality of fire risk assessments by requiring that a Responsible Person (RP) must not appoint a person to assist them with undertaking a fire risk assessment unless they are competent and a requirement on all RPs to record their completed fire risk assessments and prescribed information. The name and/or organisation of any person engaged by the RP to undertake all or part of the fire risk assessment will also need to be recorded to assist enforcing authorities undertaking enforcement action to establish compliance.

Improve the identification of RPs by requiring them to record (and update as necessary) who they are, and the extent of their responsibility under the Fire Safety Order, and to include a UK based address. This will sit alongside a further proposal to require all RPs to take reasonable steps to identify themselves to each other where they share or have duties in respect of the same premises. A new requirement will also be introduced to ensure that information is transferred effectively between outgoing RPs and their replacements.

Amend existing provision relating to statutory guidance for RPs to include provision that failure to follow such guidance may be considered in court proceedings for breaches of the Order as evidence of such a breach, and conversely proof of following guidance may be considered as evidence of compliance.

Increase the level of fines from Level 3 (£1,000) to Level 5 (unlimited) for offences in relation to the impersonation of an inspector, failure to comply with specific requirements imposed by an inspector, and failure to comply with requirements relating to the installation of luminous tube signs.

Amend the guidance in Approved Document B of the Building Regulations to require all new buildings above 11 metres to provide a readily locatable, accessible and secure Premises Information Box, to tie in with the height threshold for new buildings to require sprinklers and signage.

The Fire Safety Consultation consulted on a range of areas to strengthen fire safety. Where further work is required to develop policy, we will continue to consider the findings of the consultation and engage with the sector and stakeholders to inform ongoing policy development in these areas.

The Fire Safety Consultation also included proposals to implement recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 Report requiring changes to the law. We will consider these proposals further in light of the consultation responses and – subject to the Fire Safety Bill gaining Royal Assent – intend to lay Regulations before the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase One Report which will deliver on the Inquiry’s recommendations. These will include measures around checking fire doors and lifts.

Three of these proposals related to Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs). The Government’s commitment to implementing the Inquiry’s recommendations remains undimmed, as does our commitment to ensure those most affected by the tragic events at Grenfell Tower – the bereaved and survivors – continue to have a voice in their implementation. It is important that we get this right and ensure the voice of residents and those likely to be affected by the proposals are heard. That is why we have decided to undertake a further consultation this spring to seek additional views on the complex issue of personal emergency evacuation plans in relation to the proposals to implement the relevant Grenfell recommendations. Further details about this will be available soon on the Government’s website.

Finally, proposals to improve the engagement between Building Control Bodies and Fire Authorities in reviewing plans for building work and for the handover of fire safety information to the Responsible Person on completion will be implemented through changes to legislation and guidance.

We are determined to ensure that the public feel safe and are safe from fire in all regulated premises regardless of where they live, stay or work. These changes, alongside the Fire Safety Bill, Building Safety Bill and planned overhaul of the statutory guidance provided under the Fire Safety Order are important steps needed to strengthen the whole regulatory system for building and fire safety. Taken together they will help to ensure there is greater accountability and responsibility for fire and structural safety issues throughout the lifecycle of all buildings regulated by the Fire Safety Order.

Further detail of the changes we are making can be found in the consultation response. The consultation response will be available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fire-safety. A copy will also be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Answering body: Home Office

I am pleased to set out to the House findings from the first part of our two-part Review into the role of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs).

The Government’s manifesto committed to strengthening the accountability of PCCs and expanding their role. The public want to see a reduction in crime and PCCs are elected to deliver on the people’s priorities. Eight years on from their introduction, it is the right time to step back and consider how we can better ensure that the public can hold PCCs to account for the performance of their force.

In delivering the recommendations from Part One of the Review, we will make it easier for the public to make an informed decision about the record of their PCC at the ballot box by strengthening accountability and improving transparency. The recommendations set out below apply to PCCs and mayors with PCC functions.

Part One of our internal Review began in late July and collated views and evidence from stakeholders across policing, fire and local government as well as voluntary and community organisations. Through polling and focus groups the Review also took account of public views and opinions. We focussed on changes required to sharpen the model which, where possible, can be delivered ahead of the 2021 PCC elections.

On policing, the Home Office will bring forward a range of measures which will: strengthen PCC accountability; improve their transparency to the public; clarify the relationship between PCCs and Chief Constables; bring more consistency to the PCC role; raise professional standards; and improve the checks and balances currently in place.

The Review concluded there was more to be done to explain the role of PCCs and make their record on crime more transparent to the voting public, thus enhancing their accountability. To help achieve this:

The Home Office will amend the Specified Information Order to require PCCs to provide a narrative on their force’s performance against the Government’s crime measures, and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) force performance reports. The Specified Information Order currently places a duty on PCCs to publish certain information within specified timeframes, to ensure the public have the information they need to hold their Commissioner to account at the ballot box.

In line with the Government’s manifesto position in favour of First Past the Post, which provides for strong and clear local accountability, and reflects that transferable voting systems were rejected by the British people in the 2011 nationwide referendum, the Home Office will work with the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to change the voting system for all Combined Authority Mayors, the Mayor of London and PCCs to First Past the Post. This change will require primary legislation, which we will bring forward when Parliamentary time allows.

We concluded there are clear steps we can take to sharpen local accountability and ensure the framework guiding the relationship with Chief Constables is clarified:

The Home Office will work with the College of Policing, Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and National Police Chiefs’ Council to build on the Accountability Guidance already in place, including in relation to the performance management of Chief Constables, to help to promote and embed a positive relationship between Chief Constables and PCCs.

The Home Office will consult on potential changes to the Policing Protocol Order 2011 to provide a ‘brighter-line’ on the boundaries of operational independence and reflect changes in the relationship between the parties to the Protocol which have taken place over time. The Protocol sets out how the policing governance relationships should work, including that of the Home Secretary, and clarifies the roles and responsibilities of PCCs, Chief Constables and Police and Crime Panels.

The Home Office will also legislate to amend Section 38 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, to make the Chief Constable dismissal process more rigorous and transparent, by requiring a PCC to give the Chief Constable written notice (including grounds), as the first stage of the dismissal process; allowing for the Chief to provide HMCIC a response to those grounds; and introducing some form of time limit or review interval on a Chief Constable’s suspension from office. The Home Office will also work with the College of Policing, NPCC and APCC to develop a framework for the use of independent mediation in appropriate circumstances.

We will also seek to address the HMICFRS recommendations included in its ‘Leading Lights’ (September 2019) report, looking into the role of the College of Policing in the senior recruitment process. We will work with stakeholders to address the issues raised through this review in relation to fixed term appointments.

To improve scrutiny, the Home Office will work with the Local Government Association (LGA) to develop a good governance training package for Police and Crime Panels.

Part Two of the Review will also allow us to consider the role of the Independent Office of Police Complaints (IOPC) with respect to their handling of complaints made about the conduct of PCCs and their deputies.

The Review concluded more should be done to ensure that all PCCs adopt best practice and, given our later recommendations on fire, there is now a need to improve the resilience of the Office of the PCC:

We recommend that the APCC works with the College of Policing to build on the policing Knowledge Hub to develop a ‘what works’ compendium for PCCs.

The Home Office and APCC will jointly develop a comprehensive set of non-statutory guidance on the core elements of the PCC role. In conjunction, the APCC should deliver a formal programme of induction for new and returning PCCs post-elections in May 2021.

To enhance resilience and capacity of PCCs, given our intention to expand the role into fire, the Home Office will bring forward legislation to mandate that each PCC must appoint a Deputy (of the same political party where the PCC represents a political party). In the interim, we will issue guidance to PCCs’ offices requesting that a formal succession plan is put into place to deal with vacancy and incapacitation, involving the Police and Crime Panel in those discussions as necessary. This will not apply to mayors with PCC functions, where legislation already mandates that a Deputy Mayor must be in place.

To ensure PCCs have the levers they need to tackle crime, in Part Two of the Review, the Home Office will consult on giving a General Power of Competence (as afforded to Local Authorities) to all PCCs, to potentially help PCCs with the role they play in the wider crime and criminal justice landscape, and will consider partnership arrangements more fully.

On fire, the Government is clear that further reform of fire and rescue is required in order to respond to the recommendations from Phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, the Kerslake Review and to build on the findings from Sir Thomas Winsor’s State of Fire and Rescue Report. Our reform agenda will focus on three key areas: people; professionalism; and governance. Taken together, improvements in these areas will help deliver higher standards and greater consistency across fire and rescue services.

The Review kick-started our work on fire service governance and the findings signalled strong support for a directly elected individual taking on fire functions to help simplify and strengthen the governance of fire and rescue services across England. The Home Office will be launching a consultative White Paper on fire reform later this year. The White Paper will be used to set out our reform agenda in further detail and explore the Review proposals on fire governance which include:

Consulting on whether to mandate the transfer of fire and rescue functions to the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner model across England where boundaries are coterminous, unless there is an option to transfer fire governance directly to an elected Mayor.

Consulting on how to address coterminosity challenges, including in the South West.

Legislating to create operational independence for Chief Fire Officers and to clearly separate and delineate strategic and operational planning for fire and rescue.

Considering options to clarify the legal entities within the PFCC model.

With regard to mayoral devolution, this Review has cemented our view that the join up of public safety functions under a combined authority mayor has the potential to offer wider levers to prevent crime. We will take steps to remove barriers to more mayors taking on these functions and will work with MHCLG to develop the forthcoming Devolution and Local Recovery White Paper with that longer-term trajectory in mind.

Part Two of the Review will begin after the 2021 elections and will allow us to consider further ways to strengthen and expand efforts to help cut crime. It will focus on longer-term reforms and the potential for wider efficiencies to be made, with a view to implementation ahead of the 2024 elections. Terms of reference for Part Two of the Review will be published in this House at the appropriate time.

I would like to put on record my thanks to our Advisory Group which supported the first part of this Review, comprising senior external stakeholders with expertise in the policing and fire sectors.

Answering body: Home Office

My rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Priti Patel) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:

I am pleased to set out to the House findings from the first part of our two-part Review into the role of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs).

The Government’s manifesto committed to strengthening the accountability of PCCs and expanding their role. The public want to see a reduction in crime and PCCs are elected to deliver on the people’s priorities. Eight years on from their introduction, it is the right time to step back and consider how we can better ensure that the public can hold PCCs to account for the performance of their force.

In delivering the recommendations from Part One of the Review, we will make it easier for the public to make an informed decision about the record of their PCC at the ballot box by strengthening accountability and improving transparency. The recommendations set out below apply to PCCs and mayors with PCC functions.

Part One of our internal Review began in late July and collated views and evidence from stakeholders across policing, fire and local government as well as voluntary and community organisations. Through polling and focus groups the Review also took account of public views and opinions. We focussed on changes required to sharpen the model which, where possible, can be delivered ahead of the 2021 PCC elections.

On policing, the Home Office will bring forward a range of measures which will: strengthen PCC accountability; improve their transparency to the public; clarify the relationship between PCCs and Chief Constables; bring more consistency to the PCC role; raise professional standards; and improve the checks and balances currently in place.

The Review concluded there was more to be done to explain the role of PCCs and make their record on crime more transparent to the voting public, thus enhancing their accountability. To help achieve this:

The Home Office will amend the Specified Information Order to require PCCs to provide a narrative on their force’s performance against the Government’s crime measures, and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) force performance reports. The Specified Information Order currently places a duty on PCCs to publish certain information within specified timeframes, to ensure the public have the information they need to hold their Commissioner to account at the ballot box.

In line with the Government’s manifesto position in favour of First Past the Post, which provides for strong and clear local accountability, and reflects that transferable voting systems were rejected by the British people in the 2011 nationwide referendum, the Home Office will work with the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to change the voting system for all Combined Authority Mayors, the Mayor of London and PCCs to First Past the Post. This change will require primary legislation, which we will bring forward when Parliamentary time allows.

We concluded there are clear steps we can take to sharpen local accountability and ensure the framework guiding the relationship with Chief Constables is clarified:

The Home Office will work with the College of Policing, Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and National Police Chiefs’ Council to build on the Accountability Guidance already in place, including in relation to the performance management of Chief Constables, to help to promote and embed a positive relationship between Chief Constables and PCCs.

The Home Office will consult on potential changes to the Policing Protocol Order 2011 to provide a ‘brighter-line’ on the boundaries of operational independence and reflect changes in the relationship between the parties to the Protocol which have taken place over time. The Protocol sets out how the policing governance relationships should work, including that of the Home Secretary, and clarifies the roles and responsibilities of PCCs, Chief Constables and Police and Crime Panels.

The Home Office will also legislate to amend Section 38 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, to make the Chief Constable dismissal process more rigorous and transparent, by requiring a PCC to give the Chief Constable written notice (including grounds), as the first stage of the dismissal process; allowing for the Chief to provide HMCIC a response to those grounds; and introducing some form of time limit or review interval on a Chief Constable’s suspension from office. The Home Office will also work with the College of Policing, NPCC and APCC to develop a framework for the use of independent mediation in appropriate circumstances.

We will also seek to address the HMICFRS recommendations included in its ‘Leading Lights’ (September 2019) report, looking into the role of the College of Policing in the senior recruitment process. We will work with stakeholders to address the issues raised through this review in relation to fixed term appointments.

To improve scrutiny, the Home Office will work with the Local Government Association (LGA) to develop a good governance training package for Police and Crime Panels.

Part Two of the Review will also allow us to consider the role of the Independent Office of Police Complaints (IOPC) with respect to their handling of complaints made about the conduct of PCCs and their deputies.

The Review concluded more should be done to ensure that all PCCs adopt best practice and, given our later recommendations on fire, there is now a need to improve the resilience of the Office of the PCC:

We recommend that the APCC works with the College of Policing to build on the policing Knowledge Hub to develop a ‘what works’ compendium for PCCs.

The Home Office and APCC will jointly develop a comprehensive set of non-statutory guidance on the core elements of the PCC role. In conjunction, the APCC should deliver a formal programme of induction for new and returning PCCs post-elections in May 2021.

To enhance resilience and capacity of PCCs, given our intention to expand the role into fire, the Home Office will bring forward legislation to mandate that each PCC must appoint a Deputy (of the same political party where the PCC represents a political party). In the interim, we will issue guidance to PCCs’ offices requesting that a formal succession plan is put into place to deal with vacancy and incapacitation, involving the Police and Crime Panel in those discussions as necessary. This will not apply to mayors with PCC functions, where legislation already mandates that a Deputy Mayor must be in place.

To ensure PCCs have the levers they need to tackle crime, in Part Two of the Review, the Home Office will consult on giving a General Power of Competence (as afforded to Local Authorities) to all PCCs, to potentially help PCCs with the role they play in the wider crime and criminal justice landscape, and will consider partnership arrangements more fully.

On fire, the Government is clear that further reform of fire and rescue is required in order to respond to the recommendations from Phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, the Kerslake Review and to build on the findings from Sir Thomas Winsor’s State of Fire and Rescue Report. Our reform agenda will focus on three key areas: people; professionalism; and governance. Taken together, improvements in these areas will help deliver higher standards and greater consistency across fire and rescue services.

The Review kick-started our work on fire service governance and the findings signalled strong support for a directly elected individual taking on fire functions to help simplify and strengthen the governance of fire and rescue services across England. The Home Office will be launching a consultative White Paper on fire reform later this year. The White Paper will be used to set out our reform agenda in further detail and explore the Review proposals on fire governance which include:

Consulting on whether to mandate the transfer of fire and rescue functions to the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner model across England where boundaries are coterminous, unless there is an option to transfer fire governance directly to an elected Mayor.

Consulting on how to address coterminosity challenges, including in the South West.

Legislating to create operational independence for Chief Fire Officers and to clearly separate and delineate strategic and operational planning for fire and rescue.

Considering options to clarify the legal entities within the PFCC model.

With regard to mayoral devolution, this Review has cemented our view that the join up of public safety functions under a combined authority mayor has the potential to offer wider levers to prevent crime. We will take steps to remove barriers to more mayors taking on these functions and will work with MHCLG to develop the forthcoming Devolution and Local Recovery White Paper with that longer-term trajectory in mind.

Part Two of the Review will begin after the 2021 elections and will allow us to consider further ways to strengthen and expand efforts to help cut crime. It will focus on longer-term reforms and the potential for wider efficiencies to be made, with a view to implementation ahead of the 2024 elections. Terms of reference for Part Two of the Review will be published in this House at the appropriate time.

I would like to put on record my thanks to our Advisory Group which supported the first part of this Review, comprising senior external stakeholders with expertise in the policing and fire sectors.

Answering body: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

We do not have any estimate of the number of buildings which will be affected by the retracted tests.

On 10 March 2021 we issued a letter to fire safety professionals and building control bodies reminding them that Kingspan has retracted three test reports. The letter is available here : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-building-control-bodies-on-the-retraction-of-three-tests-carried-out-on-kingspan-k15-insulation

The letter recommends that fire safety professionals and buildings control bodies review their records to check that any assessments they have carried out using these tests are identified and revisited in light of the information highlighted during the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. The content of this letter is not new and is simply a reminder of the steps they should take in light of this information.

Answering body: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (Robert Jenrick) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:

The Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 was a national tragedy. 72 people died in the greatest loss of life in a residential fire since the Second World War; many more mourn the loss of their families, friends, community, and homes.

Grenfell Tower Inquiry published its Phase 1 report on 30 October 2019. The Report’s findings addressed the events of that night - the fire, how it started and spread, and the emergency response to it. Today I am updating the House on the progress and choices that the Government has made in implementing and acting on these recommendations. We owe it to the bereaved, the survivors, the community, and indeed all people living in blocks of flats around the country to demonstrate that we are making progress and their homes are being made safer.

The Government is delivering a comprehensive programme of reform on building and fire safety to ensure real and long-lasting, change. In the past year we have acted on the recommendations of Sir Martin and the Inquiry, in addition to our ongoing work in response to recommendations made by Dame Judith Hackitt in the Independent Review. We are addressing historic defects and delivering new legislation. This will bring about thorough regulatory reform; and ensure that people feel empowered and listened to and, more importantly, that they are safe and feel safe in their homes.

We recognised the importance of urgent action to remove unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding from high-rise residential buildings, and to date 77 per cent of identified high-rise residential and publicly owned buildings have already been or are in the process of being fully remediated. We expect this figure to rise significantly by 31 December as the remaining residential buildings have a plan in place or have expressed their intention to remediate. As well as providing support, we will hold the owners of these buildings to account and keep residents safe in their homes.

We have worked with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and local health and education partners to help the community in its recovery: rehousing residents of the Tower and of Grenfell Walk; providing funding to support refurbishment of the Lancaster West Estate; and addressing local concerns about the impact of the fire on health and the local environment.

We want the views of Grenfell communities to be heard across government, which is why the Prime Minister appointed Rt Hon Nick Hurd, former Minister for Grenfell Victims, as his Independent Adviser to represent the views of Grenfell communities at the heart of government. We know that the bereaved and the survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire await the forthcoming Social Housing White Paper, and we anticipate publishing this in the coming month.

My officials are working with the Grenfell community and the people affected by the fire, including on the delivery of a fitting and lasting memorial to the 72 people who very sadly lost their lives. As well as continuing to provide regular updates to the community about the site and regarding the legislative programme, we will also ensure we provide further regular updates on progress against the Inquiry’s recommendations.

Recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase One Report

The report made 46 detailed recommendations to improve fire safety, directed at a range of organisations including: the London Fire Brigade (LFB) and Fire and Rescue Services more broadly, other emergency services, building owners, and Government. The Government is already taking forward a number of these recommendations, including: fundamental legislative change; working with Fire and Rescue Services to support them in making the necessary improvements; starting specific projects on evacuation; working with local leaders and national bodies to ensure that action is being taken across the country supported by new funding; and identifying and remediating buildings with historic risks from unsafe cladding.

Building a safer future

Since December 2019, the Home Office has led on developing and introducing the Fire Safety Bill. That Bill will clarify the scope of the Fire Safety Order (FSO) in multi-occupied residential buildings. In particular, it will place beyond doubt that in multi-occupied residential blocks the FSO applies to the structure, external wall systems and flat entrance doors, ensuring that Fire and Rescue Authorities can confidently take enforcement action where building owners or managers are not compliant.

The Fire Safety Bill paves the way for secondary legislation which we propose to make after the commencement of the Fire Safety Bill next year. The Fire Safety Consultation held this year set out Government proposals to strengthen fire safety in regulated buildings in England to ensure that people are safe from fire regardless of where they live, stay or work. These proposals are a practical and effective approach to address the risks the Inquiry identified in Phase 1. They will provide residents with greater assurance and deliver fire safety improvements in their buildings and hold Responsible Persons, including building owners and managers, to account. At the same time, the Government will be introducing the Building Safety Bill in 2021, paving the way for a strengthened building safety regime for buildings, with an even stronger regime for high rise buildings.

Looking to the future, at the heart of the new building safety regime are two new regulators. The first, the Building Safety Regulator, will implement the more stringent regulatory regime for high risk residential buildings. It will also oversee the safety and performance of other buildings and support work to improve the competence of professionals across the industry. The Regulator will be delivered by the Health and Safety Executive and began to operate in shadow form earlier this year.

We are also committed to further strengthening the regulation of construction products. Our draft Building Safety Bill includes provisions for a more robust regulatory framework that covers a wider range of products. It will strengthen the powers available to regulators, enforce the rules and lay the groundwork to establish of a national regulator which will spearhead the new approach.

The shadow Building Safety Regulator, within the HSE, is already advising the Government on the new regime. Over the coming months, it will develop guidance to ensure that all regulators involved understand how this will operate, and what they need to do to prepare for it.

Together, the measures in the draft Building Safety Bill, Fire Safety Bill, and Fire Safety Order consultation will improve safety standards for residents in all blocks of flats. Stricter regulations for high-rise buildings will make sure those living in them can feel safe and be safe in their homes – as is their right. Indeed, everything my officials do across the Building Safety Programme in the Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Fire and Resilience Directorate in the Home Office is driven by a shared determination to prevent the recurrence of a tragedy like Grenfell.

Fire and Rescue Services

The Phase 1 report made it very clear that Fire and Rescue Services should make significant improvements to their training; policies and practices; and their equipment and technology. We are seeking real changes demonstrated through an investment in the right types of training, leadership and equipment.

That is why the Home Secretary wrote to LFB, requiring regular reporting on its progress on implementing the recommendations. Although there is still more to do, we are encouraged that LFB continues to focus on implementing all the recommendations directed to them as well as those targeting services more broadly. The LFB has revised its policies, and through a programme of training is embedding changes in the approach to high-rise firefighting. The integration of different and new technologies such as the trialling of drones to improve situational awareness and support incident commanders, is encouraging. The use of smoke hoods and smoke curtains to assist with evacuations, trialled in large scale operational exercises, appears to be a positive step. The Home Office continues to receive regular reports which have shown steady and concerted progress, even against a backdrop of the pandemic.

The Home Secretary has also commissioned Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to review the governance and progress of LFB’s action plan to implement the recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report. We anticipate the outcome of this initial review in January 2021.

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) is reflecting the Inquiry’s recommendations in its ongoing review of National Operational Guidance and the development of national standards through the Fire Standards Board, which this Government established. The Minister of State for Building Safety and Communities last month hosted a roundtable for all fire chiefs and chairs, to ensure that local services were equally committed to making rapid and meaningful progress in order to protect communities.

To ensure that the lessons from Grenfell are learned and change is implemented at pace we have made available £10 million in additional funding in 2020/21 to drive change nationally and in local services. A further £20 million has been provided to support fire protection activity across England.

As with London, HMICFRS will provide independent assurance on the effectiveness of services in responding to the recommendations as part of its second cycle of inspection, which the Home Secretary has agreed will commence in the new year.

Fire Protection

The Independent Review into Building Regulations and Fire Safety found the system ‘broken’. This broken system is being further revealed through the work of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. The Phase 1 report found that a number of key fire protection measures failed to work as they should have at Grenfell. The Inquiry identified failings in the way in which LFB fulfilled its obligations under s.7(2)(d) of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. This requirement is in place to ensure that it had the information needed for extinguishing fire and protecting life at the Tower.

Post Grenfell, we have seen other examples, which have further highlighted the importance of strengthening the overall protection capability and capacity of fire and rescue services. The work of HMICFRS, The Independent Review and the Grenfell Tower Inquiry evidence the need for more to be done to ensure that people are safe and secure in their homes and that FRSs need additional support to deliver an improved protection function to help achieve this goal. It is important that people can feel safe in their homes and that is why we have committed to ensuring that all high-rise residential buildings are inspected or reviewed by the end of 2021.

Our first priority for the £20 million protection funding has been to ensure that fire and rescue services are able to review or inspect every high-rise residential building in England by the end of 2021. This is a major programme of work, overseen by the Fire Protection Board, which will set the foundation for the building safety regulator. The funding has also created a new leadership function in NFCC; and provides funding for Fire and Rescue Services to have the capability and capacity to respond to risks in other potentially higher risk buildings, including residential buildings under 18 metres, care homes and hospitals.

Both MHCLG and the Home Office have worked with services and the NFCC, through the Fire Protection Board, to ensure appropriate interim measures remain in place to protect residents in buildings with dangerous cladding, such as ACM. The revised NFCC Simultaneous Evacuation Guidance, published on 1 October 2020, provides clearer advice which supports the Fire and Rescue Services and responsible persons to fully evacuate as soon as a fire is detected. The guidance advises responsible persons to explore cost benefit options with leaseholders and residents. It also encourages the installation of Common Fire alarms systems which means reducing the dependency on waking watch wherever possible. The guidance also reiterates that interim measures should only ever be short term and are not a substitute for remediation.

In addition, the research to support the development of national guidelines for carrying out partial or total evacuations of high-rise residential buildings and building design requirements is progressing. Independent experts will support the research that will underpin this work, and review the means of escape provisions in blocks of flats, including use of the “stay put” strategy and evacuation.

Emergency services

The Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles (JESIP) Joint Doctrine provides responders, at the scene and elsewhere, with a common way of working when responding to multi- agency incidents. Sir Martin recommended a number of amendments to the JESIP Joint Doctrine, including around communicating the declaration of a major incident.

The Emergency Services lead Chief Officers from JESIP have committed to addressing, in full, these recommendations in the review of the JESIP Joint Doctrine currently underway. This work is forecast to be completed in spring 2021.

Early actions and remediating historic risks:

Following the fire, the Government removed unsafe cladding products from the market and began dealing with historic defects. We banned combustible materials for use on new high-rise residential buildings and continue to work closely with local authorities, industry and regulators to identify existing buildings with dangerous cladding. Since then, we have continued to engage robustly with building owners, regulators and industry, to ensure the most dangerous forms of cladding are removed and replaced as soon as possible.

Building owners are responsible for building safety. But the Government recognises that funding is often a key barrier to remediation. That’s why we’re providing £1.6 billion to speed up the removal of unsafe cladding.

Despite COVID restrictions, we made it clear that these circumstances could not be allowed to impede progress on ACM remediation. Working closely with industry, we made good progress despite the many challenges we faced. We have set out a clear expectation that all building owners, across all sectors, must start ACM remediation works on site by the end of 2020.

There is still some way to go, but it is important to recognise that homes are being made safer. To date, 351 buildings (77 per cent of all identified high-rise residential and publicly owned buildings, including hotels and student accommodation), have already been or are in the process of being fully remediated. 148 social sector residential buildings – 95 per cent of that sector – have done the same. All remaining residential buildings now have a plan in place or have reported an intent to remediate.

Both myself and the Minister of State for Building Safety and Communities have personally met local leaders and the Fire Service to support them in taking action where progress is slow. Progress is reported through monthly data releases, and we have made clear that we will not rule out further measures in our mission to hold the owners of these buildings to account and keep residents safe in their homes.

Conclusion

In the year since the Phase 1 report was published, the Government has delivered demonstrable progress on all fronts and remained resolute in its commitment to deliver the recommendations. In relation to London we have used our powers to ensure that real change is happening. Through the funding we have provided the NFCC we have bolstered the national leadership that will help all services to make strategic and meaningful change – both in culture and leadership and in practical operational delivery. We have worked with industry, building owners, and regulators to ensure the most dangerous forms of cladding are removed and replaced as soon as possible. This work is not complete – we will continue to improve our services and the safety of buildings to ensure that the conditions that led to the tragedy at Grenfell Tower will no longer exist. The proposed legislative reforms will ensure there is absolute clarity on the regulatory framework, providing strong and comprehensive building safety so that residents can know their safety is assured.

Answering body: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

The Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 was a national tragedy. 72 people died in the greatest loss of life in a residential fire since the Second World War; many more mourn the loss of their families, friends, community, and homes.

Grenfell Tower Inquiry published its Phase 1 report on 30 October 2019. The Report’s findings addressed the events of that night - the fire, how it started and spread, and the emergency response to it. Today I am updating the House on the progress and choices that the Government has made in implementing and acting on these recommendations. We owe it to the bereaved, the survivors, the community, and indeed all people living in blocks of flats around the country to demonstrate that we are making progress and their homes are being made safer.

The Government is delivering a comprehensive programme of reform on building and fire safety to ensure real and long-lasting, change. In the past year we have acted on the recommendations of Sir Martin and the Inquiry, in addition to our ongoing work in response to recommendations made by Dame Judith Hackitt in the Independent Review. We are addressing historic defects and delivering new legislation. This will bring about thorough regulatory reform; and ensure that people feel empowered and listened to and, more importantly, that they are safe and feel safe in their homes.

We recognised the importance of urgent action to remove unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding from high-rise residential buildings, and to date 77 per cent of identified high-rise residential and publicly owned buildings have already been or are in the process of being fully remediated. We expect this figure to rise significantly by 31 December as the remaining residential buildings have a plan in place or have expressed their intention to remediate. As well as providing support, we will hold the owners of these buildings to account and keep residents safe in their homes.

We have worked with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and local health and education partners to help the community in its recovery: rehousing residents of the Tower and of Grenfell Walk; providing funding to support refurbishment of the Lancaster West Estate; and addressing local concerns about the impact of the fire on health and the local environment.

We want the views of Grenfell communities to be heard across government, which is why the Prime Minister appointed Rt Hon Nick Hurd, former Minister for Grenfell Victims, as his Independent Adviser to represent the views of Grenfell communities at the heart of government. We know that the bereaved and the survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire await the forthcoming Social Housing White Paper, and we anticipate publishing this in the coming month.

My officials are working with the Grenfell community and the people affected by the fire, including on the delivery of a fitting and lasting memorial to the 72 people who very sadly lost their lives. As well as continuing to provide regular updates to the community about the site and regarding the legislative programme, we will also ensure we provide further regular updates on progress against the Inquiry’s recommendations.

Recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase One Report

The report made 46 detailed recommendations to improve fire safety, directed at a range of organisations including: the London Fire Brigade (LFB) and Fire and Rescue Services more broadly, other emergency services, building owners, and Government. The Government is already taking forward a number of these recommendations, including: fundamental legislative change; working with Fire and Rescue Services to support them in making the necessary improvements; starting specific projects on evacuation; working with local leaders and national bodies to ensure that action is being taken across the country supported by new funding; and identifying and remediating buildings with historic risks from unsafe cladding.

Building a safer future

Since December 2019, the Home Office has led on developing and introducing the Fire Safety Bill. That Bill will clarify the scope of the Fire Safety Order (FSO) in multi-occupied residential buildings. In particular, it will place beyond doubt that in multi-occupied residential blocks the FSO applies to the structure, external wall systems and flat entrance doors, ensuring that Fire and Rescue Authorities can confidently take enforcement action where building owners or managers are not compliant.

The Fire Safety Bill paves the way for secondary legislation which we propose to make after the commencement of the Fire Safety Bill next year. The Fire Safety Consultation held this year set out Government proposals to strengthen fire safety in regulated buildings in England to ensure that people are safe from fire regardless of where they live, stay or work. These proposals are a practical and effective approach to address the risks the Inquiry identified in Phase 1. They will provide residents with greater assurance and deliver fire safety improvements in their buildings and hold Responsible Persons, including building owners and managers, to account. At the same time, the Government will be introducing the Building Safety Bill in 2021, paving the way for a strengthened building safety regime for buildings, with an even stronger regime for high rise buildings.

Looking to the future, at the heart of the new building safety regime are two new regulators. The first, the Building Safety Regulator, will implement the more stringent regulatory regime for high risk residential buildings. It will also oversee the safety and performance of other buildings and support work to improve the competence of professionals across the industry. The Regulator will be delivered by the Health and Safety Executive and began to operate in shadow form earlier this year.

We are also committed to further strengthening the regulation of construction products. Our draft Building Safety Bill includes provisions for a more robust regulatory framework that covers a wider range of products. It will strengthen the powers available to regulators, enforce the rules and lay the groundwork to establish of a national regulator which will spearhead the new approach.

The shadow Building Safety Regulator, within the HSE, is already advising the Government on the new regime. Over the coming months, it will develop guidance to ensure that all regulators involved understand how this will operate, and what they need to do to prepare for it.

Together, the measures in the draft Building Safety Bill, Fire Safety Bill, and Fire Safety Order consultation will improve safety standards for residents in all blocks of flats. Stricter regulations for high-rise buildings will make sure those living in them can feel safe and be safe in their homes – as is their right. Indeed, everything my officials do across the Building Safety Programme in the Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Fire and Resilience Directorate in the Home Office is driven by a shared determination to prevent the recurrence of a tragedy like Grenfell.

Fire and Rescue Services

The Phase 1 report made it very clear that Fire and Rescue Services should make significant improvements to their training; policies and practices; and their equipment and technology. We are seeking real changes demonstrated through an investment in the right types of training, leadership and equipment.

That is why the Home Secretary wrote to LFB, requiring regular reporting on its progress on implementing the recommendations. Although there is still more to do, we are encouraged that LFB continues to focus on implementing all the recommendations directed to them as well as those targeting services more broadly. The LFB has revised its policies, and through a programme of training is embedding changes in the approach to high-rise firefighting. The integration of different and new technologies such as the trialling of drones to improve situational awareness and support incident commanders, is encouraging. The use of smoke hoods and smoke curtains to assist with evacuations, trialled in large scale operational exercises, appears to be a positive step. The Home Office continues to receive regular reports which have shown steady and concerted progress, even against a backdrop of the pandemic.

The Home Secretary has also commissioned Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to review the governance and progress of LFB’s action plan to implement the recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report. We anticipate the outcome of this initial review in January 2021.

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) is reflecting the Inquiry’s recommendations in its ongoing review of National Operational Guidance and the development of national standards through the Fire Standards Board, which this Government established. The Minister of State for Building Safety and Communities last month hosted a roundtable for all fire chiefs and chairs, to ensure that local services were equally committed to making rapid and meaningful progress in order to protect communities.

To ensure that the lessons from Grenfell are learned and change is implemented at pace we have made available £10 million in additional funding in 2020/21 to drive change nationally and in local services. A further £20 million has been provided to support fire protection activity across England.

As with London, HMICFRS will provide independent assurance on the effectiveness of services in responding to the recommendations as part of its second cycle of inspection, which the Home Secretary has agreed will commence in the new year.

Fire Protection

The Independent Review into Building Regulations and Fire Safety found the system ‘broken’. This broken system is being further revealed through the work of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. The Phase 1 report found that a number of key fire protection measures failed to work as they should have at Grenfell. The Inquiry identified failings in the way in which LFB fulfilled its obligations under s.7(2)(d) of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. This requirement is in place to ensure that it had the information needed for extinguishing fire and protecting life at the Tower.

Post Grenfell, we have seen other examples, which have further highlighted the importance of strengthening the overall protection capability and capacity of fire and rescue services. The work of HMICFRS, The Independent Review and the Grenfell Tower Inquiry evidence the need for more to be done to ensure that people are safe and secure in their homes and that FRSs need additional support to deliver an improved protection function to help achieve this goal. It is important that people can feel safe in their homes and that is why we have committed to ensuring that all high-rise residential buildings are inspected or reviewed by the end of 2021.

Our first priority for the £20 million protection funding has been to ensure that fire and rescue services are able to review or inspect every high-rise residential building in England by the end of 2021. This is a major programme of work, overseen by the Fire Protection Board, which will set the foundation for the building safety regulator. The funding has also created a new leadership function in NFCC; and provides funding for Fire and Rescue Services to have the capability and capacity to respond to risks in other potentially higher risk buildings, including residential buildings under 18 metres, care homes and hospitals.

Both MHCLG and the Home Office have worked with services and the NFCC, through the Fire Protection Board, to ensure appropriate interim measures remain in place to protect residents in buildings with dangerous cladding, such as ACM. The revised NFCC Simultaneous Evacuation Guidance, published on 1 October 2020, provides clearer advice which supports the Fire and Rescue Services and responsible persons to fully evacuate as soon as a fire is detected. The guidance advises responsible persons to explore cost benefit options with leaseholders and residents. It also encourages the installation of Common Fire alarms systems which means reducing the dependency on waking watch wherever possible. The guidance also reiterates that interim measures should only ever be short term and are not a substitute for remediation.

In addition, the research to support the development of national guidelines for carrying out partial or total evacuations of high-rise residential buildings and building design requirements is progressing. Independent experts will support the research that will underpin this work, and review the means of escape provisions in blocks of flats, including use of the “stay put” strategy and evacuation.

Emergency services

The Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles (JESIP) Joint Doctrine provides responders, at the scene and elsewhere, with a common way of working when responding to multi- agency incidents. Sir Martin recommended a number of amendments to the JESIP Joint Doctrine, including around communicating the declaration of a major incident.

The Emergency Services lead Chief Officers from JESIP have committed to addressing, in full, these recommendations in the review of the JESIP Joint Doctrine currently underway. This work is forecast to be completed in spring 2021.

Early actions and remediating historic risks:

Following the fire, the Government removed unsafe cladding products from the market and began dealing with historic defects. We banned combustible materials for use on new high-rise residential buildings and continue to work closely with local authorities, industry and regulators to identify existing buildings with dangerous cladding. Since then, we have continued to engage robustly with building owners, regulators and industry, to ensure the most dangerous forms of cladding are removed and replaced as soon as possible.

Building owners are responsible for building safety. But the Government recognises that funding is often a key barrier to remediation. That’s why we’re providing £1.6 billion to speed up the removal of unsafe cladding.

Despite COVID restrictions, we made it clear that these circumstances could not be allowed to impede progress on ACM remediation. Working closely with industry, we made good progress despite the many challenges we faced. We have set out a clear expectation that all building owners, across all sectors, must start ACM remediation works on site by the end of 2020.

There is still some way to go, but it is important to recognise that homes are being made safer. To date, 351 buildings (77 per cent of all identified high-rise residential and publicly owned buildings, including hotels and student accommodation), have already been or are in the process of being fully remediated. 148 social sector residential buildings – 95 per cent of that sector – have done the same. All remaining residential buildings now have a plan in place or have reported an intent to remediate.

Both myself and the Minister of State for Building Safety and Communities have personally met local leaders and the Fire Service to support them in taking action where progress is slow. Progress is reported through monthly data releases, and we have made clear that we will not rule out further measures in our mission to hold the owners of these buildings to account and keep residents safe in their homes.

Conclusion

In the year since the Phase 1 report was published, the Government has delivered demonstrable progress on all fronts and remained resolute in its commitment to deliver the recommendations. In relation to London we have used our powers to ensure that real change is happening. Through the funding we have provided the NFCC we have bolstered the national leadership that will help all services to make strategic and meaningful change – both in culture and leadership and in practical operational delivery. We have worked with industry, building owners, and regulators to ensure the most dangerous forms of cladding are removed and replaced as soon as possible. This work is not complete – we will continue to improve our services and the safety of buildings to ensure that the conditions that led to the tragedy at Grenfell Tower will no longer exist. The proposed legislative reforms will ensure there is absolute clarity on the regulatory framework, providing strong and comprehensive building safety so that residents can know their safety is assured.

Answering body: Prime Minister

Appointment of Additional Grenfell Tower Inquiry Panel Member

The fire in Grenfell Tower on 14 June 2017 was an unimaginable tragedy that should never have happened.

The Government set up the Grenfell Tower Inquiry to get to the truth about what happened and to deliver justice for victims, survivors, bereaved families and the wider community.

Ensuring that such a terrible tragedy can never happen again remains a priority for this Government.

In February this year, I announced my intention to appoint an additional panel member to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Section 7(1)(b) of the Inquiries Act 2005 allows me to appoint panel members to the Inquiry panel at any time during the Inquiry. In appointing a panel member, section 8(1)(a) and (b) of the Inquiries Act 2005 require me to ensure that the Inquiry panel (considered as a whole) has the necessary expertise to undertake the Inquiry, and to consider the need for balance (considered against the background of the terms of reference) in the composition of the panel.

Phase 2 of the Inquiry is the largest phase in terms of the number and range of issues to be considered, and given the diversity of issues, and the expertise already available to the Inquiry, I am pleased to appoint Ali Akbor OBE as the Inquiry’s third panel member.

Ali is currently the CEO of Unity Homes and Enterprise, a leading housing association supporting sustainable and diverse neighbourhoods in West Yorkshire. Prior to his role at Unity, Ali was finance director for the Community and Social Services Directorate at the City of Salford. In December 2019, he was awarded an OBE for services to the community in Leeds. His knowledge of, and professional expertise in social housing, local government and community engagement are highly relevant skills and experience which will add great value to the Inquiry panel.

I am confident that Ali’s appointment will ensure that the Inquiry panel has the diversity of skills and expertise necessary for the scope and complexity of issues to be addressed by Phase 2 of its work.

I wrote to the Chair of the Inquiry, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, on 12 October informing him of my decision and to seek his consent to the appointment in accordance with section 7(2)(b) of the Inquiries Act 2005. Sir Martin replied on 13 October consenting to the appointment.

Ali will read into the work of the Inquiry while he formally steps back from his role at Unity and will join the Inquiry panel on 2 November for the start of module 2 of its work. It is intended that Ali will sit for the duration of the Inquiry and, alongside his two fellow panel members, will be jointly responsible for the whole of the Inquiry's Phase 2 work.

Our exchange of letters can be found on gov.uk.