Jayne Bryant, Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report was published earlier this month. I am grateful to everyone who contributed to the inquiry which informed the important recommendations.
Firstly, our thoughts are with all of those who were, and continue to be, affected by the tragic events of that night.
The report is extensive, providing a detailed examination of the causes of the tragic fire in June 2017. The report underlines once again the need for urgent and decisive action, and it provides additional impetus for our work.
As a government, we are committed to ensuring the highest standards of building safety for residents in Wales.
Officials are carefully considering the recommendations set out in the Phase 2 report. Our initial view is that the report’s recommendations align well with our intended reforms in Wales. Our positive response, and the actions we have already taken following the Phase 1 report and Dame Judith Hackitt’s “Building a Safer Future” report, demonstrates our commitment to this agenda.
We are pressing forward with the Building Safety (Wales) Bill, which is scheduled for introduction in 2025. Whilst development of the Bill is advanced, we will be taking the time to reflect on the recommendations to identify where we may wish to revise our policy.
The Building Safety (Wales) Bill, when introduced, will build on the progress we have already made to secure the safety of multi-occupied buildings in Wales. Through commencement of relevant parts of the Building Safety Act 2022, we have introduced reforms to the design and construction process, including the regulation of higher risk buildings, as well as changes to the regulation of the building control profession. The next stage of the new building control regime will look to introduce greater scrutiny and new duty holder responsibilities. We intend to consult on these proposals before the end of this year.
Our new regulatory regime will apply to all multi-occupied residential buildings, not just those 18 metres and over, meaning it will go further than the recommendations made by previous reviews.
Alongside reforms to ensure the safety of future buildings, we remain committed and are working at pace to make existing buildings in Wales as safe as they can be from fire. In Wales, all residential buildings over 11 metres now have a route to addressing any fire safety issues related to the construction of the buildings, not just unsafe cladding. Our Building Safety Programme looks at both internal and external fire safety issues in a whole-building approach that puts people’s safety first.
Many of the issues and failings that led to the tragic events of 14 June 2017 are UK wide, which I have reiterated this week with my counterparts at the British-Irish Council’s Housing summit. I welcome our continued close working with the UK Government and other Devolved Governments to progress our policies on building safety and to share best practices and learning from each other.
Building Safety is a priority for this Government, and we will continue to drive forward our remediation and reform programmes at pace.