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<p>This government has delivered the most substantive reforms to building safety in
nearly 40 years and leaseholders have been given significant legal protections from
unfair remediation bills. All residential buildings above 11 metres in England now
have a pathway to fix unsafe cladding, either through a taxpayer-funded scheme or
through a developer-funded scheme. Following intensive talks with the home-building
sector, we have a solution that is seeing industry take responsibility for fixing
fire safety defects. Where developers or building owners are not currently funding
cladding remediation, the Government has committed £5.1 billion of taxpayer money
to ensure that people are safe in their homes.</p><p>The Building Safety Act 2022
created extensive new financial protections for leaseholders in buildings above 11
metres or five storeys with historical safety defects. Responsibility for undertaking
remedial works and paying for the works in the majority of cases will rest with the
building owner. In turn they can seek to secure funding for required works from those
responsible for the defects. Where this is not possible, we expect the freeholders
to meet the costs. I refer the Hon Member to my statement of 16 November entitled
Building Safety Update (<a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2023-11-16/debates/23111633000010/BuildingSafetyUpdate"
target="_blank">Official Report HC, Volume 740, Column 56WS</a>) for further information
on the progress made to fix residential buildings over 11 metres with unsafe cladding
in England.</p>
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