Thank you, acting Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm pleased to propose this motion today and outline why it should receive support from Members of the Senedd. We all do, and very much should, remember the fire and incredibly tragic loss of life at Grenfell Tower over three years ago. We know from the public inquiry that the rapid spread of the fire and the resulting loss of life was largely due to defects in the external windows and cladding on the tower. Internal structures like fire doors also failed to resist the spread of fire properly.

It's a travesty that fire safety law as it stands does nothing to address these risks. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 was designed for workplaces, not blocks of flats. The way it is drafted means that it doesn't apply to external walls for such blocks at all; it doesn't even clearly cover internal fire doors separating individual flats and common areas. That means that landlords and other responsible persons did not have a duty to maintain these features to minimise the risk of fire. It also means that the fire and rescue services have no powers to inspect them nor to enforce compliance. This short Fire Safety Bill will correct these significant shortcomings. It will provide that the whole of a block is covered by the Order, except only the interior of individual flats. These are important and what should be uncontroversial changes.

For historical reasons, the Order can only be amended by primary legislation. Although I am clear that such legislation would be within the Senedd's competence, there isn't space within the legislative programme for such a Bill here before next year's elections. So, given the seriousness of the matters it addresses, it is both practical and appropriate for the Bill to cover Wales too. The Bill applies to premises in Wales and England in identical terms and confers identical powers on the Welsh Ministers and the Secretary of State.

I'd like to thank both the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee and the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee for their scrutiny of the Bill and legislative consent memorandum. I agree with what they had to say. In particular, I fully accept that there is much more to be done to learn and apply the lessons of Grenfell Tower. The Minister for Housing and Local Government, Julie James, set out our intentions in a written statement in June and we'll follow that up with a comprehensive White Paper early in the new year. But the Bill before us today is an important first step and I urge the Senedd to agree with its application to Wales.