Government on Wednesday 26th published its full response to the Grenfell Inquiry detailing their plans to address all 58 of the reports recommendations. The response reiterates that Government is committed to delivering a ‘strong response’ to the recommendations. The changes will be delivered using a ‘three‐phased approach’ over the course of this Parliament to deliver ‘meaningful change as quickly as possible’.
49 of the recommendations are being accepted in full by the government and other responsible organisations. As regards the remaining 9, which are all directed at government, the government accepts them in principle and makes clear in our response how we will implement them.
To coincide with the response Government published a construction products green paper, which sets out proposals for system-wide reform of the construction products sector, the regulatory regime that governs it and the institutions that must fulfil their responsibilities in assuring safe products that can be safely used.
Proposals include changes to the licensing of Conformity Assessment Bodies; mandatory data reporting; reforms to create clearer accountability for manufacturers and distributors; establishing a Construction Library; expanding the national regulator’s surveillance powers and improving the regulatory framework for products.
The response also confirms that the Building Safety Regulator will also put Approved Document B under continuous review, notwithstanding improvements implemented since 2017. The Building Safety Regulator will launch a consultation on further changes by autumn 2025.
Government will direct the Regulator of Social Housing to set standards for the competence and conduct of staff. Additionally they will be engaging a panel of experts and academics to consider how we best achieve the reform that is required in Fire Engineering. We plan to set out how we will deliver this by autumn 2025. They also announced that they will legislate to make it a mandatory requirement for fire risk assessors to have their competence to perform this critical role independently verified by a United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accredited certification body.
Amongst the other recommendations, one that will be particularly significant for the Finishes and Interiors Sector is response to Recommendation 21:
Recommendation 21
That a licensing scheme operated by the construction regulator be introduced for principal contractors wishing to undertake the construction or refurbishment of higher-risk buildings and that it be a legal requirement that any application for building control approval for the construction or refurbishment of a higher-risk building (Gateway 2) be supported by a personal undertaking from a director or senior manager of the principal contractor to take all reasonable care to ensure that on completion and handover the building is as safe as is required by the Building Regulations. (113.33)
The government accepts this recommendation.
We will review the impact of the new dutyholder regime in relation to higher-risk buildings, working with the sector to determine how we can go further, including introducing a licensing scheme for principal contractors where a licence may be granted on the basis of criteria aligned with the dutyholder requirements and can be withdrawn for failure to achieve compliance with the regulations.
