Written question WQ86297

It is vital that residents feel safe and secure in their homes.

I have met many leaseholders in residential development buildings that have been identified as having fire safety and cladding issues. I have heard first-hand how these issues are affecting the lives of leaseholders and residents.

The survey work being carried out will help responsible persons in medium and high-rise buildings to gain a comprehensive understanding of any works necessary to restore the fire safety integrity of their buildings. To date, 261 Expressions of Interest have been received, all of which have had a digital survey. As a result of the digital survey work, 163 buildings have been identified as needing further intrusive surveys.

The survey work is dependent on access to buildings being granted – in some cases this permission has been delayed. Of the 163 buildings, 68 of these more detailed surveys have so far been completed. We anticipate the remainder will be completed this autumn, subject to access to buildings being granted.

The survey reports are being shared by our consultants with the responsible persons of the buildings who submitted Expressions of Interest. We have asked the responsible persons to share this information with leaseholders and developers.

I have plans to consult leaseholders and tenants of multi-occupied homes to capture their views and lived experiences to support the development of our building safety proposals and ensure our reforms are practical and accessible. This is to ensure residents are at the heart of our building safety policy development.

A Leaseholder Campaign Forum already exists, which provides leaseholders with an opportunity to discuss building safety issues. The membership of this forum will be expanded to ensure that all views are captured.

I issued a written statement on 7 October which includes an update on the progress of building safety: Written Statement: Building Safety in Wales (7 October 2022) | GOV.WALES