Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:01 pm on 20 June 2017.
I thank the Member for her questions and the conversations we’ve had, also, around this. On the issue of six-monthly testing of both alarms and sprinkler services, we have to be a little bit cautious that what we don’t do is push the testing system into a frenzy. What happened in London was tragic, and we have to learn about what the events were that led to that process. It is clear that there are some fundamental failures within some of the spend there, in terms of whether that be cladding or whether that be operational issues within the building itself. It is my job, and that of RSLs and local authorities, to give people living in tower blocks or in other accommodation in Wales confidence that they are as safe as they can be within the systems that we operate, and I believe the six-month testing rule is appropriate where things are in place to ensure the safety continues.
In terms of the lower blocks and accommodation, the reason why we’ve gone for the seventh floor and above is because the aerial platforms of fire authorities can’t reach anything beyond that, whereas all the buildings that the Member talked about are accessible for the fire service, and I hope that gives confidence to your residents and constituents. On the issue of the lagging that we used and the issues around the WHQS, it’s not just about an environmental issue; this is about making sure the internals and externals of the envelope of the building are upgraded. So, it’s not just about energy conservation, but actually it makes a better living solution for the people in those properties, and we are not aware of the same material being used as it was in London anywhere in those processes in Wales. So, I do hope we can give your constituents and all constituents across Wales confidence that the conditions we have in place, with the regulations that are in place, are a safe environment for them to live in.