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747405

registered interest
date	03/07/2017
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to review section 10 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, to include fire safety in the list of factors which determine whether a house is unfit for human habitation.
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL369
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2017 answer text <p>All homes should be of a reasonable standard and all tenants should have a safe place to live. Under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, landlords have an obligation to ensure that they keep in repair the structure and exterior of any property they rent out.</p><p>Local authorities have strong powers to deal with poor quality, unsafe accommodation and we expect them to use those powers. Under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, local authorities can issue an Improvement Notice or a Hazard Awareness Notice if they find a defect in the property. Failure to comply with an Improvement Notice is a criminal offence for which local authorities can impose a financial penalty of up to £30,000 or prosecute in the courts which have the power to impose an unlimited fine. In extreme circumstances, the local authority may decide to make repairs themselves, or to prohibit that property from being rented out.</p><p>The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places a duty on housing providers to undertake a fire risk assessment of the common parts of their properties and to put in place and maintain adequate fire precautions to manage the risk that lives could be lost in a fire. The Order is enforced by fire and rescue authorities. Failure to comply with the provisions of the Fire Safety Order may to lead to prosecution and potentially a significant fine or custodial sentence.</p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 18/07/2017 11:25:34 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

747406

registered interest
date	03/07/2017
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to improve fire safety since the inquest into the 2009 Lakanal House fire.
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL370
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2017 answer text <p>Following the Lakanal House fire the Coroner made a number of recommendations and DCLG followed up on all of them, including priority funding for new fire safety guidance and commissioning new research. Other action which has been taken since 2013 to improve fire safety has included: the introduction of new regulations on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in 2015; the continuing Fire Kills communications campaign; and research which was commissioned into fire safety issues.</p><p>An independent expert panel has been set up to provide advice to the Government on any immediate measures needed to make buildings safe following the Grenfell Tower fire. The panel will be led by Sir Ken Knight, former London Fire Commissioner and former Government Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser. It will consider safety measures, policies, inspection and regulation, taking account of both the Grenfell Tower fire and ongoing fire safety inspections. It will look at any immediate action required to ensure public confidence that everything possible is being done to make all public and private buildings safe as quickly as possible.</p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 21/07/2017 09:32:24 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

747407

registered interest
date	03/07/2017
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the Housing Act 2004 housing health and safety rating system, in particular the hazards classified under category 1 (damp and mould growth) and category 2 (excess cold).
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL371
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2017 answer text <p>The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is kept under regular review. We have been clear that lessons will be learned from the Grenfell fire, and any issues for the HHSRS will be taken into account.</p><p>The HHSRS is a risk assessment process which involves a local authority assessing 29 categories of potential housing hazards in a dwelling, such as damp, excess cold and electrical faults. Where a property contains potentially serious risks to the health and safety of the occupants, the local authority must take appropriate action requiring the building owner to reduce or remove the risk. This will frequently involve service of an Improvement Notice. Failure to comply with an Improvement Notice is a criminal offence for which local authorities can impose a financial penalty of up to £30,000 or prosecute in the courts which have the power to impose an unlimited fine. In extreme circumstances, the local authority may decide to make repairs themselves, or to prohibit the property from being rented out.</p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 18/07/2017 11:29:35 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

747408

registered interest
date	03/07/2017
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government, in the light of (1) enforcement powers relating to compliance with building regulations expiring 12 months, and (2) powers to prosecute breaches of building regulations expiring 24 months, after completing a building, what is their assessment of the effectiveness of (a) Local Authority Building Control, and (b) private Approved Inspectors.
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL372
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2017 answer text <p>Enforcement powers are only available to local authorities and it is for local authorities to determine when and how to use those powers.</p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 17/07/2017 15:57:30 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

747409

registered interest
date	03/07/2017
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what action have they taken since the fire at Grenfell Tower to ensure that landlords who have obligations under Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 are meeting those obligations.
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL373
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2017 answer text <p>The Home Office has worked closely with the Department of Communities and Local Government and information and advice to landlords on fire safety is available on the DCLG GOV.UK webpage.</p><p> </p><p>This includes details of the establishment of an expert advisory panel, chaired by Sir Ken Knight, to provide independent advice to the Secretary of State on any immediate measures that may need to put in place to make their buildings safe for residents following the tragedy at Grenfell Tower. The National Fire Chiefs Council is represented on this Panel.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 18/07/2017 11:19:59 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

747410

registered interest
date	03/07/2017
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government whether they have assessed the extent to which the Department for Communities and Local Government Approved Document B, which sets down the functional requirements of fire safety, meets present day British Standards; and if not, why not.
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL374
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2017 answer text <p>Neither Approved Document B nor any other Approved Documents are designed to meet British Standards. Rather, Approved Document B points to British Standards as a means by which its requirements might be met.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 19/07/2017 15:27:48 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark