Building safety

27 June 2022

Dear

ATISN 16357 - Building/Home Fire Safety

Information requested

Thank you for your request which I received on 26 May 2022.  You asked:

1. Has the Minister met with any housing developers in regards to building safety and remediation works in 2022?

A meeting between the Minister and developers is planned for 11^th July 2022.  Ahead of this the Minister has written to developers operating in Wales requiring them to set out a timetable for remediating life-critical fire safety issues in buildings of 11 metres and above. Welsh Government officials have also engaged with developers.

2. How many housing developers has the Minister met so far in regards to building safety and remediation works in 2022?

Please see the answer to question 1 above.

3. Between 2021 and 2022, four developers either failed to respond to the Minister's inquiries or declined to meet. Since January 2022, has the Minister made contact with Laing O'Rourke, Bellway Homes, Bovis Homes and Westmark?

The Minister has written to all developers that have signed up to the UK Government’s Pledge, including Bellway Homes. She has also written to Laing O’Rourke, Bovis Homes and Westmark, inviting them to meet with her.   

4. Has a timeframe to complete cladding remediation on medium and high-rises been discussed in any of the Minister's meetings with developers?

The Minister has made clear that remediation of Welsh Buildings should extend beyond cladding to take a more holistic approach, including compartmentation, fire suppression and alert systems.

The Minister has written to developers operating in Wales requiring them to set out a timetable for remediating life-critical fire safety issues in buildings of 11 metres and above. 

5. What is the timeframe for completion for cladding remediation on medium and high-rises?

The Minister has made clear that remediation of Welsh Buildings should extend beyond cladding to take a more holistic approach, including compartmentation, fire suppression and alert systems.

Fifteen buildings have been identified in Wales with non-compliant Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding. Three in the social sector, and twelve in the private sector. The three social sector buildings have had the cladding removed. The works to the private sector buildings are being led by developers and all have either been completed or have plans in place to deal with the cladding.

It is likely that further buildings with non-compliant cladding will be identified through the intrusive surveys currently being undertaken. 

Welsh Government officials are currently developing the remediation phase of the Welsh Building Safety Fund to address such issues. 

We anticipate that remediation work will begin in the second part of this financial year.

6. The Minister announced the further intrusive surveys have begun 100 buildings, with these surveys providing a report on safety issues in these buildings. The Minister expected this to be completed by the end of summer. Are these surveys, and subsequent reports, on track to be completed within that time period?

Up to March 2022 we have received 258 Expressions of Interest to the Welsh Building Safety Fund, which represents the starting point to accessing Welsh Government Support. All have had digital surveys completed, and 161 buildings have been identified for further intrusive surveys. This programme of work has already begun and will continue over the summer.

This work is currently on track.

7. When does the Minister expect phase 2 to formally begin?

The second phase of the Welsh Building Safety Fund is being designed to reduce fire safety risks identified in medium and high-rise buildings. This includes taking a holistic approach for the remediation of buildings and recognising cladding is not the only concern but compartmentation, fire breaks and the absence of fire alert, evacuation and suppression systems can also be significant factors. We anticipate that Phase 2 will begin in the second part of this financial year

Next steps

If you are dissatisfied with the Welsh Government’s handling of your request, you can ask for an internal review within 40 working days of the date of this response.  Requests for an internal review should be addressed to the Welsh Government’s Freedom of Information Officer at:

Information Rights Unit, 
Welsh Government,
Cathays Park, 
Cardiff, 
CF10 3NQ 

or Email: Freedom.ofinformation@gov.wales

Please remember to quote the ATISN reference number above.   

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner.  The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:  Information Commissioner’s Office,

Wycliffe House, 
Water Lane, 
Wilmslow, 
Cheshire, 
SK9 5AF.

However, please note that the Commissioner will not normally investigate a complaint until it has been through our own internal review process.

Yours sincerely