Written question WQ86469

In Wales we are working in collaboration with developers to rectify fire safety defects in medium and high-rise buildings.

I have always made it clear that I expect developers to step up to their responsibilities and do not expect leaseholders to bear the cost of repairing fire safety issues that are not of their making.

I have made £375m available to tackle building safety and have taken steps to ensure all appropriate routes are being explored to make sure that all medium and high-rise buildings in Wales are as safe as they can be from fire.

I am pleased with our good relationships with developers, which has resulted in 11 developers signing up to the Welsh Government’s Developers Pact (Countryside, Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey, Lovell, McCarthy and Stone, Vistry, Redrow, Crest Nicholson, St Modwen, Bellway and Barratt), confirming their intention to remediate buildings of 11 metres and over, which they have developed over the last 30 years.

The new powers under the UK Building Safety Act 2022 in relation to remediation and contribution orders (sections 116-125) only apply in England. These provisions were the result of late amendments made by the UK Conservative Government to the Bill which we were not able to take advantage of.

I continue to consider the legal protections afforded by these sections and the options open to us in Wales.

The Building Safety Act 2022 does include a number of other provisions intended to add further protection for leaseholders in Wales, including the extension of the Defective Premises Act 1972 time periods and provision to deal with the lack of redress available where a development company no longer exists.

I am looking to bring about these changes to the building control system and building regulations via the development of secondary legislation. This will include consultation with stakeholders and the public on the key matters.

I aim to have all the secondary legislation implementing the Building Safety Act 2022 in Wales in place by spring 2025.