5. Statement by the Minister for Housing and Local Government: Update on Building Safety

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:03 pm on 22 October 2019.

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Photo of John Griffiths John Griffiths Labour 4:03, 22 October 2019

I want to raise some issues that have already been touched upon by you, Minister, and, indeed, other contributors, and that's around private sector high-rise residential buildings. Just last week, the equality committee received correspondence from a leaseholder raising very significant concerns about basic quality and fire safety measures and the lack of them, and this followed a level 4 survey, which found defects around compartmentation with no effective fire stopping in the compartment wall between each flat and the common corridor. I know this issue has been raised before in Plenary and we're writing to you now, in fact, regarding this case, with more detail on the specific complex involved. But I believe it also links to broader concerns about the private sector and these high-rise residential blocks. We know, for example, that a previous level 4 survey found similar issues with fire safety in another building in south Wales, and this was something that we explored in our report on fire safety in high-rise private sector buildings late last year. So, we think it's very concerning, really, that, of the two buildings surveyed to the extent of a level 4 survey, very basic fire safety measures were lacking. And I think it begs the question, really, for you and for all of us, as to how confident we can be with regard to other private sector high-rise residential buildings in Wales in terms of those issues and the lack of those basic standards.

In our report on fire safety, Minister, we recommended that Welsh Government explore the feasibility of ensuring level 4 surveys for all high-rise residential buildings, and we made this recommendation because we were concerned that people could be living unknowingly in buildings with these basic fire safety defects. So, we were pleased that Welsh Government accepted the recommendation in principle, stating that, as part of the response to the Hackitt review, you would be addressing these issues and you would consider the need for invasive building surveys and who is best-placed to undertake them. However, when the road map was published, it didn't address the issue directly, although the road map did note that there was little in law to require meaningful improvements to the fire safety of existing buildings over the course of their life cycle. It also said that Welsh Government needs to consider how it will ensure all buildings could progressively be brought up to the highest standards now recommended. So, I'd be grateful, really, Minister if you could outline what further consideration is being given to mandating the use of level 4 invasive surveys for all existing high-rise residential buildings in the private sector in Wales.