Following the Government statement on the latest progress following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower, Anne Main highlights the important work of the Building Research Establishment in St Albans and asks what advice is being given to councils to ensure contractors are fitting and retrofitting buildings correctly.
The Building Research Establishment is in my constituency, and I know what an excellent job it does on this and many other issues to do with building safety. The Secretary of State talked in his statement about each system when properly fitted; what further advice is he giving to councils to ensure that contractors are correctly fitting and retrofitting buildings and ensuring inspections are carried out not just on the materials used, but on the implementation or any compromises made over time?
I join my hon. Friend in commending the work of BRE. I went to see some of its facilities myself and was impressed by how it has approached these systems tests and how quickly it was able to conduct them. She is right to ask about contractors and implementing some of the early lessons we have learned. The advice we have received from the independent expert panel has been sent out to building groups and industry groups, and shared with all local authorities. One further thing we have done today is publish a consolidated note of all the building safety advice that has come out in recent weeks, to make sure it is in one place and is easily accessible.
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