Written question WQ87622

The Welsh Building Safety Programme has been established to help residents who live in apartments affected by fire safety issues – this is irrespective of whether they are a leaseholder either living in or letting their property, or a resident.

The Programme provides free surveys on buildings to establish whether there are fire risks present, and survey reports are issued directly to Responsible Persons to share with leaseholders, residents and developers.

There are a range of mental health support services that leaseholders in Wales can access:

• The national CALL mental health helpline funded by Welsh Government provides access to advice and emotional support 24/7.

• There is also a range of easy to access mental health support on the 111 website, which includes online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

• Any individual whose mental health has been affected will also be able to access appropriate support through their GP, who will be best placed to advise on the support that is available.

• Additionally, if children and young people have been affected, they can also access support from the schools counselling service in their area.

I am pleased that 11 major developers have signed up to the Welsh Government’s Developers’ Pact and I anticipate they will shortly sign up to the formal legal documentation underpinning this Pact, which sets out our detailed expectations of developers.

I have also recently announced that I will be supporting a pilot to address fire safety issues in orphan buildings, which are those where the developer has ceased trading, cannot be identified or the building is more than 30 years old.

I launched the Leaseholder Support Scheme in June 2022. The scheme provides access to free independent financial advice, and where appropriate, allows leaseholders to sell their property and either move on or rent the property back. I have worked with partners and sector experts to identify an appropriate route for property valuation, clear eligibility criteria, and to create a comprehensive property purchase process.

I urge any leaseholders in financial difficulty to complete our eligibility checker, to see if they can access support through this scheme.

For further information please visit the Welsh Government website.

Our Expressions of Interest are submitted by Responsible Persons of buildings, and therefore data is recorded at a building, rather than individual leaseholder level.